BS1430  .D355  v. 3 
Delitzsch,  Franz,  1813-1890 
Biblical  commentary  on  the 
Psalms  / 


JUN  17  1966 


% 


CLARK'S 


FOREIGN 


THEOLOGICAL   LIBRARY. 


FOUKTH   SEKIES. 
VOL.  XXXI. 


SeTit^0cI)'!S  Commcntari)  on  ti)t  ^^alms. 

VOL.  III. 


E  D  I  N  B  U  E  G  II  : 
T.   &    T.    CLAliK,    38,    GEOEGE    STEEET. 

MDCCCLXXXV. 


PRINTED    BY    MORRISON    AND   G1B8. 


T.    &    T.    CLARK,    EDINBURGH. 

LONDON HAMILTON,    ADAMS,    AND  CO. 

DUBLIN, GEORGE   HERBERT. 

NBW   YORK SCRIBNER    AND   WELFORO. 


BIBLICAL  COMMENTARY 


THE     PSALMS. 


FRANZ    DELITZSCIT,    D.D., 

PROFESSOR   OF   OLD   AND   NEW   TESTAMENT   EXEGESIS,    LEITSia 


£;ranslakb  from  ilje  (§zxmmx 

(from  the  SECOirD  EDITION,  REVISED  THRGUGHOVT) 


REV.   FRANCIS   BOLTON,   B.A., 

PRIZEMAN    IX   HKDUEW   AND   NEW  TESTAMENT  GREEK    IX  THE    UNIVERSITY   OF   LONDON. 


SECOND  edition: 
VOL.    IIL 


EDINBURGH: 
T.    &    T.    CLARK,    38,    GEOIiGE    STREET. 

MDCCCLXXXV. 


^,,c^.-m^,,^ 


\ 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


EXPOSITION   OF   THE   PSALTER. 


Third  Book  of  the  PsAi,Ti:n,  Ps.  lxxiii.-lxxxix. — (ci 
Psalm  Ixxxiv.  to  Ixxxix.,     .... 

Fourth  Book  of  the  Psalter,  Ps.  xc.-cvi., 

Fifth  Book  of  the  Psalter,  Ps.  cvii.-cl.. 

The  Fifteen  Soiigs  of  Degrees,  Ps.  cxx.-cxxxiv., 


nthtncd) — 


47-1.09 
1 60-416 
264-322 


EXCURSUS   BY  J.  G.  WETZSTEIN. 

I.    CONCEnXIXG  -lim,  THE  NAME  OF  A  BiRD  (On  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  4),    . 

II.  Concerning  the  Signification  of  the  Word  njyo  in  its 

APPLICATION  TO  AGRICULTURE  (On  Ps.  CXxix.  3,  cf.  OH  Ps. 

Irv.  11), 


417 


ERRATA. 


Vol.  III. 

Page    15,  line  21  from  top,  fur  One  read  thing. 

28,    ,,     17         ,,        /'/•  xviii.  15  reari  xviii.  5. 

45,    ,.     1-1         ,,        /*/•  referential  read  postliminiar. 
110,    ,,       2         ,,        /!'r  xx.\iv.  15  reof/ xxxvi.  5. 
124,    ,,      4         ,.        for  cv.l  read  cxy.^. 
137,  note  t,  line  4  from  bottom,  read  Npi'S. 
169,  line  12  from  bottom,  for  li;  read  tTri. 
191,  note,  line  3  from  bottom, /or  cxxxviii.  read  cxxxiii. 

These  "Errata"  and  those  noted  in  Vol.  II.  are,  with  trifling  excep- 
tion, the  result  of  corrections  and  suggestions  received  from  Dr.  Delilzsch, 
which  reached  the  printers  too  late  for  correction  in  type.  The  Scripture 
references  have  been  carefully  verified  during  the  progress  of  the  work,  so 
that  the  translator  trusts  the  student  will,  after  attention  to  the  above, 
find  no  perplexing  inaccuracies  in  this  department. 


Vol.  I. 

Page    14,  line  18  from  top,  delete  comma  before  "inscribing." 
,,      99,  first  line  of  note,  read  which  show  this  ancient  noiT. 
,,    144,  line  17  from  top,  for  ^y  7-ead  fjy. 
,,    151,  in  note  *,  read  DDB'  instead  ofariU' 
.,    297,  line  11  from  bottom,  read  distre&s. 
,,    347,    ,,     12  from  top,  read  eudfi. 


THIRD  BOOK  OF  THE  PSALTEE  (CONTINUED). 
Ps.  LXXIII.-LXXXIX. 


PSALM    LXXXIV. 

LONGING  FOR  THE  HOUSE  OF  GOD,  AND  FOR  THE 
HAPPINESS  OF  DWELLING  THERE. 

2  HOW  lovely  are  Thy  dwelling-places,  Jahve  of  Hosts ! 

3  i\Iy  soul  longeth,  yea  fainteth,  for  the  courts  of  Jahve, 
My  heart  and  my  flesh  sing  for  joy  towards  the  living  G< 

4  Yea,  the  sparrow  hatli  found  a  house, 
And  the  swallow  a  nest  for  herself, 
Where  she  hath  sheltered  her  young — 
Thine  altars,  Jahve  of  Hosts, 

My  King  and  my  God. 

5  Blessed  are  they  who  dwell  in  Thy  house, 
They  shall  still  praise  Thee.     {Sela.) 

6  Blessed  is  the  man  whose  strength  is  in  Thee — 
The  pilgrims'  ways  are  in  their  lieart. 

7  Passing  through  the  valley  of  Baca, 
They  make  it  a  place  of  springs, 

The  rain  also  enshroudeth  it  in  blessings. 

8  They  go  from  strength  to  strengtii, 
There  stand  they  before  Elohim  in  Zion  : 

VOL.  III.  1 


2  PSAI.M  LXXXIV. 

\)  "  Jalive  Eloliira  of  Hosts, 
Oh  hear  my  prayer, 
Give  ear,  O  God  of  Jacob!"     (Sela.) 

10  Thou  our  Shield,  look  into  it,  Elohim, 
And  look  upon  the  face  of  Thine  anointed ! 

11  For  better  is  a  day  in  Thy  courts  than  a  thousand; 

I  had  rather  lie  upon  the  threshold  in  the  house  of  iny  God, 
Than  dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness. 

12  For  a  sun  and  shield  is  Jahve  Elohim. 
Grace  and  glory  doth  Jahve  dispense. 

He  doth  not  withhold  any  good  thing  from  those  who  walk 
in  uprightness. 

13  Jahve  of  Hosts, 

Blessed  is  the  man  who  trusteth  in  Thee. 

With  Ps.  Ixxxiii.  the  circle  of  the  Asaphic  songs  is  closed 
(twelve  Psalms,  viz.  one  in  the  Second  Book  and  eleven  in  the 
Third),  and  with  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  begins  the  other  half  of  the  Ko- 
rahitic  circle  of  songs,  opened  by  the  last  of  the  Korahitic  Elo- 
him-Psalms.  True,  Hengstenberg  (transl.  vol.  iii.  Appendix,  p. 
xlv)  says  that  no  one  would,  with  my  Spnbolce,  p.  22,  regard  this 
Ps.  Ixxxiv.  as  an  Elohimic  Psalm  ;  but  the  marks  of  the  Elohimic 
style  are  obvious.  Not  only  that  the  poet  uses  Elohim  twice, 
and  that  in  ver.  8,  where  a  non-Elohimic  Psalm  ought  to  have 
said  Jahve;  it  also  delights  in  compound  names  of  God,  which 
are  so  heaped  up  that  Jahve  Tsehaoth  occurs  three  times,  and 
the  specifically  Elohimic  Jahve  Elohim  Tsehaoth  once. 

The  origin  of  this  Psalm  has  been  treated  of  already  in 
connection  with  its  counterpart,  Ps.  xlii.-xliii.  It  is  a  thoroughly 
heartfelt  and  intelligent  expression  of  the  love  to  the  sanctuary 
i)f  Jahve  which  yearns  towards  it  out  of  the  distance,  and  calls 
all  those  happy  who  have  the  like  good  fortune  to  have  their 
home  there.  The  prayer  takes  the  form  of  an  intercession  for 
God's  anointed ;  for  the  poet  is  among  the  followers  of  David, 
the  banished  one.*     He  docs  not  pray,  as  it  were,  out  of  his 


Nic.  Nonuen  takes  a  different  view  in  liis  Disscrtatio  dc  Tzippor  et 


PSALM  LXXXIV.  2-5.  3 

soul  (llengstenberg,  Tholuck,  von  Gerlach),  but  for  him ;  for 
loving  Jahve  of  Hosts,  the  iieavcnly  King,  he  also  loves  His 
inviolably  chosen  one.  And  wherefore  should  he  not  do  so, 
since  with  him  a  new  era  for  the  neglected  sanctuary  had 
dawned,  and  the  delightful  services  of  the  Lord  had  taken  a 
new  start,  and  one  so  rich  in  song?  With  him  he  shares  both 
joy  and  grief.  With  his  future  he  indissolubly  unites  his  own. 
To  the  Precentor  upon  the  Gittith,  the  inscription  runs,  by 
Bene-Korah,  a  Psalm.  Concerning  n''ri2n~?y,  vid.  on  viii.  1, 
The  structure  of  the  Psalm  is  artistic.  It  consists  of  two  halves 
with  a  distichic  as/ir^-conclusion.  The  schema  is  3.  5.  2  |  5. 
5.  5.  3.  2. 

Vers.  2-5.  How  loved  and  lovely  (niT"*!^)  is  the  sacred 
dwelling-place  (^plur.  as  in  xliii.  3)  of  the  all-commanding,  re- 
demptive God,  viz.  His  dwelling-place  here  below  upon  Zion ! 
Thither  the  poet  is  drawn  by  the  deeply  inward  yearning  of 
love,  which  makes  him  pale  (^P?^  from  ^03,  to  grow  pale,  xvii. 
12)  and  consum£sJiijiii-('"iP3  as  in  Job  xix.  27).  His  heart  and 
flesh  joyfully  salute  the  living  God  dwelling  there,  who,  as  a 
never-failing  spring,  quenches  the  thirst  of  the  soul  (xlii.  3) ; 
the  joy  that  he  feels  when  he  throws  himself  back  in  spirit  into 
the  long- denied  delight  takes  })ossession  even  of  his  bodily 
nature,  the  bitter-sweet  pain  of  longing  completely  fills  him 
(Ixiii.  2).  The  mention  of  the  "courts"  (with  the  exception  of 
the  Davidic  Psalm  Ixv.  5,  occurring  only  in  the  anonymous 
Psalms)  does  not  preclude  the  reference  of  the  Psalm  to  the 
tent-temple  on  Zion.  The  Tabernacle  certainly  had  only  one 
"i>*n  ;  the  arrangement  of  the  Davidic^tent-teniple^  however,  is 
indeed  unknown  to  us,  and,  according  to  reliable  traces,*  it  may 
be  well  assumed  that  it  was  more  gorgeous  and  more  spacious 
than  the  old  Tabernacle  which  remained  in  Gibeon.  In  ver. 
4  the  preference  must  be  given  to  that  explanation  which 
makes  ^^"linSipTix  dependent  upon  '^^'VOj  without  being  obliged 
to  supply  an  intermediate  thought  like  n^?  (with  hardening 


Deror,  etc.,  1741.  He  considers  oue  of  the  Ephraimitcs  wlio  were  brought 
back  to  tlie  fellowship  of  the  true  worship  of  God  in  the  reign  of  Jchoaiia- 
phat  (2  Chron.  xix.  4)  to  be  the  subject  of  tlic  P.saliij. 

*    Vid.  Kuobel  on  Exodus,  S.  l'5o-257,  especially  S.  25r». 


4  PSAL5I  LXXXIV.  2-5. 

Dagesh  like  |3,  Gen.  xix.  38,  vid.  the  rule  at  lii.  5)  and  !i?.  as  a 
more  definite  statement  of  the  object  which  the  poet  has  in 
view.      The  altars,  therefore,  or  (what  this  is  meant  to  say 
without  any  need  for  taking  ns  as  a  preposition)  the  realm, 
province  of  the  altars  of  Jahve— this  is  the  house,  this  the  nest 
which  sparrow  and  swallow  have  found  for  themselves  and  their 
young.     The  poet  thereby  only  indirectly  says,  that  birds  have 
builtthemselves  nests  on  the  Temple-house,  without  giving 
any  occasion  for  the  discussion  whether  this  has  taken  place  in 
reality.     By  the  bird  that  has  found  a  comfortable  snug  home 
on  the  place  of  the  altars  of  Jahve  in  the  Temple-court  and  in 
the  Temple-house,  he  means  himself.    "ii2y  (from  I?)')  is  a  general 
name  for  whistling,  twittering  birds,  like  the  finch*  and  the 
sparrow,  just  as  the  LXX.  here  renders  it.   ii">'^  is  not  the  turtle- 
dove (LXX.,  Targum,  and  Syriac),  but  the  swallow,  which  is 
frequently  called  even  in  the  Talmud  nm  "ilsfX^  "'^^^?)j  ^"^^ 
appears  to  take  its  name  from  its  straightforward  darting,  as  it 
were,  radiating  flight  (cf .  Arabic  jadurru  of  the  horse  :   it  darts 
straight  forward).     Saadia  renders  du7-tje,  wdiich  is  the  name 
of  the  sparrow  in  Palestine  and  Syria  {vid.  Wetzstein's  Ex- 
cursus I.  at  the  end  of  this  volume).     After  the  poet  has  said 
that  his  whole  longing  goes  forth  towards  the  sanctuary,  he 
adds  that  it  could  not  possibly  be  otherwise  (05  standing  at  the 
Head  of  the  clause  and  belonging  to  the  whole  sentence,  as  e.g. 
in  Isa.  XXX.  33 ;  Ewald,  §  352,  b) :  he,  the  sparrow,  the  swallow, 
has  found  a  liouse,  a  nest,  viz.  the  altars  of  Jahve  of  Hosts, 
his   King  and  his  God  (xliv.  5,  xlv.  7),  who  gloriously  and 
inaccessibly  protects  him,  and  to  whom  he  unites  himself  with 
most  heartfelt  and  believing  love.     The  addition  "  where  (I'f  J:^ 
as  in  xcv.  9,  Num.  xx.  13)  she  layeth  her  young,"  is  not  without 
its  significance.     One  is  here  reminded  of  the  fact,  that  at  the 
time  of  the  second  Temple  the  sons  of  the  priests  were  called 
nsna  ^nna,  and  the  Leyke  poet  means  himself  together  with  his 
faniily;  God's  altars  secure  to  them  shelter  and  sustenance. 
How   happy,    blessed,    therefore,    are    those   who    enjoy   this 
good  fortune,  which   he  now   longs  for  again  with  pain  in  a 
strange  country,  viz.  to  be  able  to  make  his  home  in  the  house 
of  such  an  adorable  and  gracious  God  !     niy  here  signifies,  not 


Vid.  Tobler.  Dcnkhlutkr  aus  Jtrusakm,  1853,  S.  117. 


PSALM  LXXXIV.  6-13.  5 

''constantly"  (Gen.  xlvi.  29),  for  which  ^^OPl  would  have  been 
used,  but  "yet^"  as  in  xlii.  0.  The  relation  of  ver.  5Z»  to  5a  is 
tlierefore  like  xli.  2.  The  present  is  dark,  but  it  will  come  to 
])as3  even  yet  that  the  inmates  of  God's  house  (oUeloc  tov  Qeov, 
Eph.  ii.  10)  will  praise  Him  as  their  Helper.  The  music  here 
strikes  in,  anticipating  this  praise. 

Vers.  6-13.  This  second  half  takes  up  the  "  blessed"  of  the 
distichic  epode  (eVwSo?)  of  the  first,  and  consequently  joins 
member  to  member  chain-like  on  to  it.  Many  hindrances  must 
be  cleared  away  if  the  poet  is  to  get  back  to  Zion,  his  true 
home;  but  his  longing  carries  the  surety  within  itself  of  its 
fulfilment :  blessed,  yea  in  himself  blessed,  is  the  man,  who  has 
his  strength  (Tiy  only  here  plene)  in  God,  so  that,  consequently, 
the  strength  of  Him  to  whom  all  things  are  possible  is  mighty 
in  his  weakness.  What  is  said  in  ver.  Qh  is  less  adapted  to  be 
the  object  of  the  being  called  blessed  than  the  result  of  that 
blessed  relationship  to  God.  What  follows  shows  that  the 
"  high-roads"  are  not  to  be  understood  according  to  Isa.  xl.  3  sq., 
or  any  other  passage,  as  an  ethical,  notional  figure  (Venema, 
Hengstenberg,  Hitzig,  and  others),  but  according  to  Isa.  xxxiii. 
8  (cf.  Jer.  xxxi.  21),  with  Aben-Ezra,  Vatablus,  and  the  ma- 
jority of  expositors,  of  the  roajls  leading  towards  Zion ;  not, 
however,  as  referring  to  the  return  from  the  Exile,  but  to  the 
going  up  to  a  festival :  the  pilgrim-high-roads  with  their  sepa- 
rate halting-places  (stations)  were  constantly  present  to  the 
mind  of  such  persons.  And  though  they  may  be  driven  never 
so  far  away  fi'om  them,  they  will  nevertheless  reach  the  goal 
of  their  longing.  The  most  gloomy  present  becomes  bright  to 
them :  passing  through  even  a  terrible  wilderness,  they  turn  it 
(inri''Ei''')  into  a  place  of  springs,  their  joyous  hope  and  the  infinite 
beauty  of  the  goal,  which  is  worth  any  amount  of  toil  and 
trouble,  afford  them  enlivening  comfort,  refreshing  strengthen- 
ing in  the  midst  of  the  arid  steppe.  i<3nn  poy  does  not  signify 
the  "Valley  of  weeping,"  as  Hupfeld  at  last  renders  it  (LXX. 
KotXdSa  TOV  K\av6fMO}vo<;),  although  Burckhardt  found  a  t^'->^j 
lioJl  (Valley  of  weeping)  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sinai.  In 
Hebrew  "weeping"  is  ''-?3,  '"133^  ni33,  not  ND3.  Renan,  in  the 
fourth  chapter  of  his  Vie  de  Jesus,  understands  the  expression 
to  mean  the  last  station  of  those  who  journey  from  northern 


6  rSAI.M  LXXXIV.  G-13. 

Palestine  on  this  side  of  the  Jordan  towards  Jerusalem,  viz. 
Ain  el-Haraimje,  in  a  narrow  and  gloomy  valley  where  a  black 
stream  of  water  flows  out  of  the  rocks  in  which  graves  are  dug , 
so  that  consequently  N3an  p'O)  signifies  Valley  of  tears  or  of 
trickling  waters.     But  such  trickling  out  of  the  rock  is  also 
called  ^"33,  Job  xxviii.  11,  and  not  W3.      This  latter  is  the 
singular  to  D\s-33  in  2  Sam.  v.  24  (cf.  D^^5?3,  D^snv,  ciii.  21),  the 
name  of  a  treej  and,  according  to  the  old  Jewish  lexicographers, 
of  the  mulberry-tree  (Talmudic  m\,  cjj) ;   but  according  to 
the  designation,  of  a  tree  from  which  some  kind  of  fluid  flows, 
and  such  a  tree  is  the  ilO,  resembling  the  balsam-tree,  which  is 
very  common  in  the  arid  valley  of  Mecca,  and  therefore  might 
also  have  given  its  name  to  some  arid  valley  of  the  Holy  Land 
{vid.  Winer's  Realivorterbuch,  s.v.  Bacha),  and,  according  to 
2  Sam.  V.  22-25,  to  one  belonging,  as  it  would  appear,  to  the 
line  of  valley  which  leads  from  the  coasts  of  the  Philistines  to 
Jerusalem.     What  is  spoken  of  in  passages  like  Isa.  xxxv.  7, 
xH.  18,  as  being  wrought  by  the  omnipotence  of  God,  who 
brings  His  people  home  to  Zion,  appears  here  as  the  result  of 
the  power  of  faith  in  those  who,  keeping  the  same  end  of  their 
journeyings  in  view,  pass  through  the  unfruitful  sterile  valley. 
That  other  side,  however,  also  does  not  remain  unexpressed. 
Not  only  does  their  faith  bring  forth  water  out  of  the  sand  and 
rock  of  the  desert,  but  God  also  on  His  part  lovingly  antici- 
pates their  love,  and  rewardingly  anticipates  their  faithfulness : 
a  gentle  rain,  like  that  which  refreshes  the  sown  fields  in  the 
autumn,  descends  from  above  and  enwraps  it  (viz.  the  Valley  of 
Baca)  in  a  fulness  of  blessing  {^^T-,  Hiphil  with  two  accusa- 
tives, of  which  one  is  to  be  supplied  :  cf.  on  the  figure,  Ixv.  14). 
The  arid  steppe  becomes  resplendent  with  a  flowery  festive 
frarmont  (Isa.  xxxv.  1  sq.),  not  to  outward    appearance,  but 
to  theni  spiritually,  in  a  manner  none  the  less  true  and  real. 
And  whereas  under  ordinary  circumstances  the  strength  of  the 
traveller  diminishes  in  proportion  as  he  has  traversed  more  and 
more  of  his  toilsome  road,  with  them  it  is  the  very  reverse ; 
they  go  from  strength  to  strength  (cf.  on  the  expression,  Jer. 
ix.  2,  xii.  2),  i.e.  they  receive  strength  for  strength  (cf.  on  the 
subject-matter,  Isa.  xl.  31,  John  i.  16),  and  that  an  ever  in- 
creasing strength,  the  nearer  they  come  to  the  desired  goal, 


PSALM  LXXXIV.  C-13.  7 

which  also  they  cannot  fail  to  reach.  The  pilgriin-band  (this 
is  the  subject  to  '"'^"^!'.),  going  on  from  strength  to  ('?X)  strength, 
at  last  reaches,  attains  to  (/J<  instead  of  the  \^.ri"%  used  in  other 
instances)  Elohiin  in  Zion.  Having  reached  this  final  goal, 
the  pilgrim-band  pours  forth  its  heart  in  the  language  of 
prayer  such  as  we  have  in  ver.  9,  and  the  music  here  strikes 
up  and  blends  its  sympathetic  tones  with  this  converse  of  the 
church  with  its  God. 

The  poet,  however,  who  in  spirit  accompanies  them  on  their 
pilgrimage,  is  now  all  the  more  painfully  conscious  of  being  at 
the  present  time  far  removed  from  this  goal,  and  in  the  next 
strophe  prays  for  relief.  He  calls  God  =I35JD  (as  in  lix.  12),  for 
without  Plis  protection  David's  cause  is  lost.  May  He  then 
behold  (i^^?"],  used  just  as  absolutely  as  in  2  Chron.  xxiv.  22,  cf. 
Lam.  iii.  50),  and  look  upon  the  face  of  His  anointed,  which 
looks  up  to  Him  out  of  the  depth  of  its  reproach.  The  position 
of  the  words  shows  that  ^^2^-3  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  the  object 
to  nsn^  according  to  Ixxxix.  19  (cf.  xlvii.  10)  and  in  opposition 
to  the  accentuation,  for  why  should  it  not  then  have  been  wnhn 
i:3J0  nxi?  The  confirmation  (ver.  11)  puts  the  fact  that  we 
have  before  us  a  Psalm  belonging  to  tlie  time  of  David's  per- 
secution_byAbsaloiu,  beyond  all  doubt.  Manifestly,  when  his 
king  prevails,  the  })oet  will  at  the  same  time  (cf.  David's  lan- 
guage, 2  Sam.  XV.  25)  be  restored  to  the  sanctuary.  A  single 
day  of  his  Ife  in  the  courts  of  God  is  accounted  by  him  as 
better  than  a  thousand  other  days  {%^^^  with  Olewejored  and 
preceded  by  Relia  parvuiii).  He  would  rather  lie  down  on  the  ^ 
threshold  (concerning  the  significance  of  this  ^^iJ^pi?  in  the 
mouth  of  a  Korahite,  vid.  supra^  vol.  ii.  p.  53)  in  the  house  of 
his  God  than  dwell  within  in  the  tents  of  ungodliness  (not 
"palaces,"  as  one  might  have  expected,  if  the  house  of  God 
had  at  that  time  been  a  palace).  For  how  worthless  is  the 
pleasure  and  concealment  to  be  had  there,  when  compared  with 
the  salvation  and  protection  which  Jahve  Elohim  affords  to  His 
saints !  This  is  the  only  instance  in  which  God  is  directly 
galled  a  sun  (ti'???')  in  the  sacred  writings  (cf.  Sir.  xlii.  IG). 
He  is  called  a  shield  as  protecting  those  who  flee  to  Him  and 
rendering  them  inaccessible  to  their  foes,  and  a  sun  as  the 
Being  who  dwells  in  an  unapproachable  lig^lit,  which,  going 
forth  from  Him  in  love  towards  men,  is  particularized  as  |n  and 


8  PSALM  LXXXV. 

1123.  as  the  iientle  and  overpowcrino;  light  of  the  grace  and  glory 
(X^'ipi-^  3"<^l  ^o^a,)  of  the  Father  of  Lights.  The  highest  good  is 
self-communicative  (coinmunicativnm  siii).  The  God  of  salva- 
tion does  not  refuse  any  good  thing  to  those  who  walk  ^''pnii 
(□"on  Tj-inSj  ci.  6;  of.  on  xv.  2).  Upon  all  receptive  ones,  i.e. 
all  those  who  are  desirous  and  capable  of  receiving  His  bless- 
ings, He  freely  bestows  them  out  of  the  abundance  of  His  good 
things.  Strophe  and  anti-strophe  are  doubled  in  this  second 
half  of  the  song.  The  epode  closely  resembles  that  which 
follows  the  fii'st  half.  And  this  closing  ashrS  is  not  followed 
by  any  Sela.  The  music  is  hushed.  The  song  dies  away  with 
an  iambic  cadence  into  a  waiting  expectant  stillness. 


PSALM    LXXXV. 

PETITION  OF  THE  HITHERTO  FAVOURED  PEOPLE  FOR  A 
RESTORATION  OF  FAVOUR. 

2  THOU  hast  been  favourable,  Jahve,  unto  Thy  land, 
Thou  hast  turned  the  captivity  of  Jacob ; 

3  Thou  hast  taken  away  the  iniquity  of  Thy  people, 
Thou  hast  covered  all  their  sin —     (^Sela.) 

4  Thou  hast  drawn  in  all  Thy  wrath. 

Thou  hast  turned  from  the  heat  of  Thine  anger. 

f>  Turn  unto  vis  again,  O  God  of  our  salvation, 
And  cause  Thine  indignation  against  us  to  cease. 

<)  Wilt  Thou  for  ever  be  angry  with  us, 

Wilt  Thou  draw  out  Thine  anger  to  all  generations  ? 

7  Wilt  Thou  not  quicken  us  again, 
That  Thy  people  may  rejoice  in  Thee? 

8  Cause  us  to  see,  Jahve,  Thy  loving-kindness, 
And  grant  us  Thy  salvation. 

{)  I  will  hear  what  God  Jahve  will  speak 

Yea,  He  spcaketh  peace  to  His  people  and  to  His  saints; 
Only  let  them  not  again  fall  into  folly! 
10  Yea,  nigh  unto  those  who  fear  Him  is  His  salvation^ 
That  glory  may  again  dwell  in  our  land. 


PSALM  I.XXXV.  2-4. 

11  Loving-kindness  and  truth  sliall  meet  together, 
Righteousness  and  peace  shall  kiss  each  other. 

J  2  Truth  sliall  spring  out  of  tlie  earth, 

And  rio;hteousuess  shall  look  down  from  heaven. 


mrr 


S' 


13  Jahve  shall  give  every  good  th 
And  our  land  shall  again  yield  its  increase. 

14  Righteousness  shall  go  before  Him 
And  attend  unto  the  way  of  Plis  steps. 

The  second  part  of  the  Book  of  Isaiah  is  written  for  the 
Israel  of  the  Exile.  It  was  the  incidents  of  the  Exile  that  first 
unsealed  this  great  and  indivisible  prophecy,  which  in  its  com- 
pass is  without  any  parallel.  And  after  it  had  been  unsealed 
there  sprang  up  out  of  it  those  numerous  songs  of  the  Psalm- 
collection  which  remind  us  of  their  common  model,  partly  by 
their  allegorizing  figurative  language,  partly  by  their  lofty 
])rophetic  thoughts  of  consolation.  This  first  Korahitic  Jahve- 
Psalm  (in  ver.  13  coming  into  contact  with  Ps.  Ixxxiv.,  cf. 
Ixxxiv.  12),  which  more  particularly  by  its  allegorizing  fio;ura- 
tive  language  points  to  Isa.  ch.  xl.— Ixvi.,  belongs  to  the  number 
of  these  so-called  deutero-Isaianic  Psalms. 

The  reference  of  Ps.  Ixxxv.  to  the  period  after  the  Exile 
and  to  the  restoration  of  the  state,  says  Dursch,  is  clearly  ex- 
i)ressed  in  the  Psalm.  On  the  other  hand,  Henfrstenberir 
maintains  that  "the  Psalm  does  not  admit  of  any  historical 
interpretation,"  and  is  sure  only  of  this  one  fact,  that  vers.  2-4. 
do  not  relate  to  the  deliverance  out  of  the  Exile.  Even  this 
Psalm,  however,  is  not  a  formulary  belonging  to  no  express 
])eriod,  but  has  a  special  historical  basis  ;  and  vers.  2-4  certainly 
sound  as  though  they  came  from  the  lips  of  a  people  restored 
to  their  fatherland. 

Vers.  2-4.  The  poet  first  of  all  looks  back  into  the  past,  so 
rich  in  tokens  of  favour.  The  six  perfects  are  a  remembrance 
of  former  events,  since  nothing  precedes  to  modify  them.  Cer- 
tainly that  which  has  just  been  experienced  might  also  be  in- 
tended ;  but  then,  as  Hitzig  supposes,  vers.  5-8  would  be  the 
jietition  that  preceded  it,  and  ver.  9  would  go  back  to  the  turn- 
ing-point of  the  answering  of  the  request — a  retrograde  move- 


10  PSALM  LXXXV.  o-fi. 

ment  wliicli  is  less  probable  than  that  in  =i3?VJ'j  ver.  5,  we  have  a 
transition  to  the  petition  for  a  renewal  of  previously  manifested 
favour.  (^"'3'^')  '^^^v'  2^j  here  said  of  a  cessation  of  a  national 
judgment,  seems  to  be  meant  literally,  not  figuratively  (yid. 
xiv.  7).  n^n,  with  the  accusative,  to  have  and  to  show  pleasure 
in  any  one,  as  in  the  likewise  Korahitic  lamentation-Psalm  xliv. 
4,  of.  cxlvii.  11.  In  ver.  3a  sin  is  conceived  of  as  a  burden  of 
the  conscience  ;  in  ver.  36  as  a  blood-stain.  The  music  strikes 
up  in  tlie  middle  of  the  strophe  in  the  sens.e  of  the  "blessed" 
in  xxxii.  1.  In  ver.  4a  God's  n"i2y  ({.<?.  unrestrained  wrath) 
appears  as  an  emanation ;  He  draws  it  back  to  Himself  (^DX  as 
in  Joel  iv.  [iii.]  15,  Ps.  civ.  29,  1  Sam.  xiv.  19)  when  He  ceases 
to  be  angry ;  in  ver.  Ah,  on  the  other  hand,  the  fierce  anger  is 
conceived  of  as  an  active  manifestation  on  the  part  of  God 
which  ceases  when  He  turns  round  (^''"^'i?,  Iliph.  as  inwardly 
transitive  as  in  Ezek.  xiv.  6,  xxi.  35  ;  cf.  the  Kul  in  Ex.  xxxii. 
12),  i.e.  gives  the  opposite  turn  to  His  manifestation. 

Vers.  5-8.  The  poet  now  prays  God  to  manifest  anew  the 
loving-kindness  He  has  shown  formerly.  In  the  sense  of 
''restore  us  again,"  ^3ar.r  does  not  form  any  bond  of  connection 
between  this  and  the  preceding  strophe;  but  it  does  if,  accord- 
ing to  Ges.  §  121,  4,  it  is  intended  in  the  sense  of  (^^vN)  ^j?  2vS\ 
turn  again  to  us.  The  poet  prays  that  God  would  manifest 
Himself  anew  to  His  people  as  He  has  done  in  former  days. 
Thus  the  transition  from  the  retrospective  perfects  to  the  peti- 
tion is,  in  the  presence  of  the  existing  extremity,  adequately 
brought  about.  Assuming  the  post-exilic  origin  of  the  Psalm, 
we  see  from  this  strophe  that  it  was  composed  at  a  period  in 
wliich  the  distance  between  the  temporal  and  spiritual  condition 
of  Israel  and  the  national  restoration,  promised  together  with 
the  tei'mination  of  the  Exile,  made  itself  distinctly  felt.  On  ^3^y 
(in  relation  to  and  bearing  towards  us)  beside  "npy?,  cf.  Job  x. 
17,  and  also  on  "isn^  Lxxxix.  34.  In  the  question  in  ver.  6  re- 
minding God  of  His  love  and  of  His  promise,  "^'^'^  has  the 
signification  of  constant  endless  continuing  or  pursuing,  as  in 
xxxvi.  11.  The  expression  in  ver.  7a  is  like  Ixxi.  20,  cf.  Ixxx. 
19;  2Vy  is  here  the  representative  of  rursns,  Ges.  §  142.  ^rc'l 
from  >'^'l,  like  TEVj^  in  xxxviii.  2,  has  t^(cf.  the  inflexion  of  ''"IQ  and 
ph)  instead  of  the  f  in  ^:>V'^'\  'nS^..  Here  at  the  close  of  the  strophe 
the  prayer  turns  back  inferentially  to  this  attribute  of  God. 


PSALM  LXXXV.  9-11.  11 

Vers.  9-11.  Tlie  prayer  is  followed  by  attention  to  tlio 
tlivine  answer,  and  by  the  answer  itself.  The  poet  stirs  himself 
up  to  give  ear  to  the  words  of  God,  like  Habakkuk,  cli.  ii.  1. 
Beside  nyp'j'X  we  find  the  reading  nj,'Cw'X,  vid.  on  xxxix.  13. 
The  construction  of  'n  ?N'n  is  appositional,  like  11"^  ^|"2ri,  Ges. 
§  113.  ^3  neither  introduces  the  divine  answer  in  express  words, 
nor  states  the  ground  on  which  he  hearkens,  but  rather  supports 
the  fact  that  God  speaks  from  that  which  He  has  to  speak. 
Peace  is  the  substance  of  that  which  He  speaks  to  His  people, 
and  that  (the  particularizing  Waw)  to  His  saints ;  but  with  the 
addition  of  an  admonition.  PN  is  dehortative.  It  is  not  to  be 
assumed  in  connection  with  this  ethical  notion  that  the  ah  of 
n?pD7  is  the  locative  ah  as  in  npixti*?,  ix.  18.  npca  is  related  to 
7D3  like  foolery  to  folly.  The  present  misfortune,  as  is  indi- 
cated here,  is  the  merited  consequence  of  foolish  behaviour 
(playing  the  fool).  In  vers.  10  sqq.  the  poet  unfolds  the 
promise  of  peace  which  he  has  heard,  just  as  he  has  heard  it. 
What  is  meant  by  '\Vp\  is  particularized  first  by  the  infinitive, 
and  then  in  perfects  of  actual  fact.  The  possessions  that  make 
a  people  truly  happy  and  prosperous  are  mentioned  under  a 
charming  allegory  exactly  after  Isaiah's  manner,  ch.  xxxii. 
16  sq.,  xlv.  8,  lix.  14  sq.  The  glory  that  has  been  far  removed 
again  takes  up  its  abode  in  the  land.  Mercy  or  loving-kindness 
walks  along  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  and  there  meets  fidelity, 
like  one  guardian  angel  meeting  the  other.  Righteousness  and 
peace  or  prosperity,  these  two  inseparable  brothers,  kiss  each 
other  there,  and  fall  lovingly  into  each  other's  arms.* 

Vers.  12-14.  The  poet  pursues  this  charming  picture  of 
the  future  further.  After  God's  niDS,  i.e.  faithfulness  to  the 
promises,  has  descended  like  dew,  DDX,  i.e.  faithfulness  to  the 
covenant,  springs  up  out  of  the  land,  the  fruit  of  that  fertilizing 
influence.     And  '"'1^7^';  gracious  justice,  looks  down  from  heaven, 


*  Concerning  St.  Bernard's  beautiful  parable  of  the  reeouciliation  of 
the  inviolability  of  divine  threatening  and  of  justice  Avith  mercy  and  peace 
in  the  work  of  redemption,  which  has  grown  out  of  this  passage  of  the 
I'salms,  Misericurdia  et  Veritas  obviaveriait  slhi,  justitia  et  pax  oscultifie  stmt. 
and  has  been  transferred  to  the  painting,  poetry,  and  drama  of  the  middk- 
ages,  viil.  Piper's  Evangelischer  Kaknder,  1859,  S.  24-34,  and  tlie  beautiful 
miniature  representing  the  duTrxafii;  of  oix-xioavvr,  and  si>jj*>!  of  a  Greek 
Psalter,  1867,  S.  63. 


12  PSALM  LXXXVI. 

smiling  favour  and  dispensing  blessing.     W  in  ver.  13  places 
these  two  prospects  in  reciprocal  relation  to  one  another  (of. 
Ixxxiv.  7)  ;  it  is  found  once  instead  of  twice.     Jahve  gives  nitsn, 
everything  that  is  only  and  always  good  and  that  imparts  true 
happiness,  and  the  land,  corresponding  to  it,  yields  np^^;,  the  in- 
crease which  might  be  expected  from  a  land  so  richly  blessed 
(cf.  Ixvii.  7  and  the  promise  in  Lev.  xxvi.  4).     Jahve  Himself 
is  present  in  the  land :  righteousness  walks  before  Him  ma- 
jestically as  His  herald,  and  righteousness  VDys  r\-rib  Db*;,  sets 
(viz.  its  footsteps)  upon  the  way  of  His  footsteps,  that  is  to 
say,   follows   Him  inseparably.      Vcys  stands  once  instead  of 
twice ;   the  construct  is  to  a  certain  extent  attractional,  as  in 
Ixv.  12,  Gen.  ix.  6.     Since  the  expression  is  neither  ^^^  (1.  23, 
Isa.  li.  10)  nor  V:^^  (Isa.  xlix.  11),  it  is  natural  to  interpret  the 
expression  thus,  and  it  gives  moreover  (cf.  Isa.  Iviii.  8,  Hi.  12) 
an  excellent  sense.     But  if,  which  v/e  prefer,  D'b'  is  taken  in 
the  sense  of  ni?  D^b'  (as  e.g.  in  Job  iv.  20)  with  the  following  ?, 
to  give  special  heed  to  anything  (Deut.  xxxii.  46,  Ezek.  xl.  4, 
xliv.  5),  to  be  anxiously  concerned  about  it  (1  Sam.  ix.  20), 
then  we  avoid  the  supplying  in  thought  of  a  second  Vcys,  which 
is  always  objectionable,  and  the  thought  obtained  by  the  other 
interpretation  is  brought  clearly  before  the  mind:  righteous- 
ness goes  before  Jahve,  who  dwells  and  walks  abroad  in  Israel, 
and  gives  heed  to  the  way  of  His  steps,  that  is  to  say,  follows 
carefully  in  His  footsteps. 


PSALM   LXXXVL 

PEAYER  OF  A  PERSECUTED  SAINT. 

1  BOW  down,  Jahve,  Thine  ear,  answer  me, 
For  I  am  needy  and  poor. 

2  Preserve  my  soul,  for  I  am  pious ; 
Help  Thy  servant,  O  Thou  my  God, 
Who  cleaveth  confidingly  to  Thee. 

3  Be  merciful  unto  mc,  Lord, 

For  unto  Tiiee  do  I  cry  all  the  day. 

4  Itejoice  the  soul  of  Thy  servant, 
I  lift  up  my  soul. 


PSALM  LXXXVI.  lo 

5  For  Thou,  Lord,  art  good  and  ready  to  forgive, 

And  plenteous  in  mercy  unto  all  who  call  upon  Thee. 

G  Give  ear,  Jahve,  to  my  prayer, 

And  hearken  to  the  cry  of  my  importunate  supplications. 

7  In  the  day  of  my  distress  do  I  call  unto  Thee, 
For  Thou  wilt  answer  me. 

8  There  is  none  like  unto  Thee  among  the  gods,  O  Lord, 
And  Thy  works  have  not  their  equal. 

9  All  nations  which  Thou  hast  made  shall  come  and  worship 

before  Thee,  Lord, 
And  give  glory  to  Thy  name. 

10  For  Thou  art  great  and  doest  wondrous  things, 
Thou,  Thou  art  God  alone. 

11  Teach  me,  Jahve,  Thy  way, 

I  desire  to  walk  in  Thy  truth  ; 
Unite  my  heart  to  fear  Thy  Name. 

12  I  will  give  thanks  to  Thee,  O  Lord  my  God,  with  all  my 

heart. 
And  will  glorify  Thy  Name  for  ever, 

13  That  Thy  mercy  has  been  great  over  me, 

And  Thou  hast  rescued  my  soul  out  of  the  deep  hell. 

14  Elohim,  the  proud  are  risen  against  me, 

And  an  assembly  of  violent  men  seek  my  soul, 
And  have  not  set  Thee  before  their  eyes. 

15  But  Thou,  Lord,  art  a  God  compassionate  and  gracious, 
Long-suffering  and  plenteous  in  mercy  and  truth. 

16  Turn  unto  me  and  be  gracious  to  me, 
O  give  strength  unto  Thy  servant 
And  save  the  son  of  Thy  handmaid. 

17  Show  me  a  token  for  good, 

That  those  who  hate  me  may  see  it  and  be  ashamed, 
That  Thou,  Jahve,  hast  helped  me  and  comforted  me. 

A  Psalm  "  by  David"  which  has  points  of  contact  with 
Ps.  Ixxxv.  (cf.  Ixxxvi.  2,  TDH,  with  Ixxxv.  9;  Ixxxvi.  15,  non 
niDSI,  with  Ixxxv.  11)  is  here  inserted  between  Korahitic  Psalms  : 
it  can  only  be  called  a  Psalm  by  David  as  having  grown  out 
of  Davidic  and  other  model  passages.     The  writer  cannot  be 


14  rSALM  LXXXVI.  1-13. 

compared  for  poetical  capability  either  with  David  or  ^Yith  the 
authors  of  such  Psalms  as  Ps.  cxvi.  and  cxxx.  His  Psalm  is 
more  liturgic  than  purely  poetic,  and  it  is  also  only  entitled 
npsrij  without  bearing  in  itself  any  sign  of  musical  designation. 
It  possesses  this  characteristic,  that  the  divine  name  ''J^X  occurs 
seven  times,*  just  as  it  occurs  three  times  in  Ps.  cxxx.,  forming 
the  start  for  a  later,  Adonajic  style  in  imitation  of  the  Elohimic. 

Vers.  1-5.  The  prayer  to  be  heard  runs  like  Iv.  3 ;  and 
the  statement  of  the  ground  on  which  it  is  based,  ver.  lb,  word 
for  word  like  xl.  18.  It  is  then  particularly  expressed  as  a 
prayer  for  preservation  ('"^jpt^,  as  in  cxix.  167,  although  im- 
perative, to  be  read  shconfrah;  cf.  xxx.  4  "•"!"! '^^^  xxxviii.  21  ^S"!"! 
or  'ST]!,  and  what  we  have  already  observed  on  xvi.  1  ^J^.ptr) ; 
for  he  is  not  only  in  need  of  God's  help,  but  also  because  ^^p^I 
(iv.  4,  xvi.  10),  i.e.  united  to  Him  in  the  bond  of  affection 
port,  Hos.  vi.  4,  Jer.  ii.  2),  not  unworthy  of  it.  In  ver.  2  we 
hear  the  strains  of  xxv.  20,  xxxi.  7 ;  in  ver.  3,  of  Ivii.  2  sq. : 
the  confirmation  in  ver.  46  is  taken  verbally  fi-om  xxv.  1,  cf. 
also  cxxx.  6.  Here,  what  is  said  in  ver.  4  of  this  shorter 
Adonajic  Psalm,  cxxx.,  is  abbreviated  in  the  aira^  jeypa/u,.  n?D 
(root  bo,  bi^j  to  allow  to  hang  loose,  'x^aXdv,  to  give  up,  remittere). 
The  Lord  is  good  (SiJO),  i.e.  altogether  love,  and  for  this  very 
reason  also  ready  to  forgive,  and  great  and  rich  in  mercy  for 
all  who  call  upon  Him  as  such.  The  beginning  of  the  follow- 
ing group  also  accords  with  Ps.  cxxx.  in  ver.  2. 

Vers.  6-13.  Here,  too,  almost  everything  is  an  echo  of 
earlier  language  of  the  Psalms  and  of  the  Law ;  viz.,  ver.  7 
follows  xvii.  6  and  other  passages ;  ver.  8tf  is  taken  fi'om  Ex. 
XV.  11,  cf.  Ixxxix.  9,  where,  however,  D\n^N,  gods,  is  avoided; 
ver.  %h  follows  Deut.  iii.  24;  ver.  9  follows  xxii.  28  ;  ver.  11a 
is  taken  from  xxvii.  11;  ver.  lib  from  xxvi.  3;  ver.  13,  7\^*p 
n>nnri  from  Deut.  xxxii.  22,  where  instead  of  this  it  is  n^rinri^ 
just  as  in  cxxx.  2  ^^1^[]|?  (supphcatory  prayer)  instead  of  "'niJIJnn 


*  For  the  genuine  reading  in  ver.  4  (whore  Ileidenheim  reads  niH^) 
and  in  vor.  5  (where  Nisscl  reads  mn'')  is  also  '•ynx  (Bouiberg,  Ilutter,  etc.). 
Both  the  divine  names  in  vers.  1  and  5  belong  to  the  134  pN"ni.  The  divine 
name  ^JIS,  which  is  written  and  is  not  merely  substituted  for  nin\  is 
called  in  the  language  of  the  Masora  *5>;*71  (the  true  and  real  one). 


PSAUr  LXXXVI.  14-17.  15 

(importunate  supplications) ;  and  also  ver.  10  (cf.  Ixxii.  18)  is 
a  doxolooical  formula  that  was  already  in  existence.  The  con- 
struction 3  2''\ypn  is  the  same  as  in  Ixvi.  19.  But  although  for 
the  most  part  flowing  on  only  in  the  language  of  prayer 
borrowed  from  earlier  periods,  this  Psalm  is,  moreover,  not 
without  remarkable  significance  and  beauty.  With  the  con- 
fession of  the  incomparableness  of  the  Lord  is  combined  the 
prospect  of  the  recognition  of  the  incomparable  One  throughout 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  This  clear  unallegorical  prediction  of 
the  conversion  of  the  heathen  is  the  principal  parallel  to  Apoc. 
XV.  4.  "  All  nations,  which  Thou  hast  made" — they  have  their 
being  from  Thee ;  and  although  they  have  forgotten  it  (ciJ.  ix. 
18),  they  will  nevertheless  at  last  come  to  recognise  it.  a'ia"73, 
since  the  article  is  wanting,  are  nations  of  all  tribes  (countries 
and  nationalities)  ;  cf.  Jer.  xvi.  16  with  Ps.  xxii.  18;  Tubit  xiii. 
11,  e6u7]  TToXXd,  with  ibid.  xiv.  6,  irdvTa  to.  eOv-q.  And  how 
weightily  brief  and  charming  is  the  petition  in  ver.  11:  wd 
cor  memuj  ut  timeat  nomen  tuum  !  Luther  has  rightly  departed 
from  the  renderings  of  the  LXX.,  Syriac,  and  Vulgate : 
ketetur  {^}j\  from  ^y}).  The  meaning,  however,  is  not  so  much 
"  keep  my  heart  near  to  the  only  One,"  as  "  direct  all  its  powers 
and  concentrate  them  on  the  one  thing."  The  following  group 
shows  us  what  is  the  meaning  of  the  deliverance  out  of  the  hell 
beneath  (njnnn  ijis*^,  like  n^rinri  ps*,  the  earth  beneath,  the 
inner  parts  of  the  earth,  Ezek.  xxxi.  14  sqq.),  for  which  the 
poet  promises  beforehand  to  manifest  his  thankfulness  (^3,  ver. 
13,  as  in  Ivi.  14). 

Vers.  14-17.  The  situation  is  like  that  in  the  Psalms  of 
the  time  of  Saul.  Tlie  writer  is  a  persecuted  one,  and  in  con- 
stant peril  of  his  life.  He  has  taken  ver.  14a5  out  of  the  Elo- 
himic  Ps.  liv.  ver.  5,  and  retained  the  Elohim  as  a  proper  name 
of  God  (cf.  on  the  other  hand  vers.  8,  10)  ;  he  has,  however, 
altered  C^t  to  Q''1T,  which  here,  as  in  Isa.  xiii.  11  (cf.,  however, 
ibid.  XXV.  5),  is  the  alternating  word  to  D^^*''"iy.  In  ver.  15  he 
supports  his  petition  that  follows  by  Jahve's  testimony  con- 
cerning Himself  in  Ex.  xxxiv.  6.  The  appellation  given  to 
himself  by  the  poet  in  ver.  16  recurs  in  cxvi.  16  (cf.  Wisd. 
ix.  5).  The  poet  calls  himself  "  the  son  of  Thy  handmaid" 
as  liaving  been  born  into  the  relation  to  Him  of  servant ;  it  is 
a  relationship  that  has  come  to  him  by  birth.    How  beautifully 


16  PSALM  LXXXVII. 

does  tlie  Adonaj  come  in  here  for  the  seventh  time !  He  is 
even  from  liis  mother's  womb  the  servant  of  tlie  sovereign 
Lord,  from  whose  omnipotence  lie  can  therefore  also  look  for  a 
miraculous  interposition  on  his  behalf.  A  "  token  for  good  " 
is  a  sj)ecial  dispensation,  from  which  it  becomes  evident  to  him 
that  God  is  kindly  disposed  towards  him.  nniDp  as  in  the 
mouth  of  Nehemiah,  ch.  v.  19,  xiii.  31 ;  of  Ezra,  eh.  viii.  22  ; 
and  also  even  in  Jeremiah  and  earlier.  VJ^'TI  is  just  as  paren- 
thetical as  in  Isa.  xxvi.  11. 


PSALM    LXXXVIL 

THE  CITY  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH  OF  THE  NATIONS. 

1  HIS  founded  [city]  upon  the  holy  mountains — 

2  Jahve  loveth  the  gates  of  Zion 
More  than  all  the  dwellings  of  Jacob. 

3  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of   thee,   thou  city  of   God  ! 

{Sela.) 

4  "  I  will  proclaim  Rahab  and  Babylon  as  My  intimates  ; 
Behold  Philistia  and  Tyre,  together  with  ^Ethiopia — 
Til  at  one  is  born  there," 

5  And  to  Zion  it  shall  one  day  be  said  : 
Each  and  every  one  is  born  in  her. 
And  He,  the  Highest,  doth  establish  her. 

6  Jahve  shall  reckon  in  the  list  of  the  nations : 
That  one  is  born  there.     (Sela.) 

7  And  singing  as  well  as  dancing  (they  say)  : 
All  my  fountains  are  in  thee ! 

The  mission  thought  in  Ixxxvi.  9  becomes  the  ruling  thouglit 
in  this  Korahitic  Psalm.  It  is  a  prophetic  Psalm  in  the  style, 
boldly  and  expressively  concise  even  to  obscurity  (Eusebius, 
cT(f)uBpa  alvtyfjiaTcioST]^  koX  a-Koreivm  elprjfieuo^;),  in  which  the 
first  three  oracles  of  the  tetralogy  Isa.  xxi.-xxii.  14,  and  the 
passage  Isa.  xxx.  6,  7 — a  passage  designed  to  be  as  it  were  a 
memorial  exhibition — are  also  written.  It  also  resembles  these 
oracles  in  this  respect,  that  ver.  lb  opens  the  whole  arsis-like 


rSALJI  LXXXVII.  1-4.  17 

by  a  solemn  statement  of  its  subject,  like  tlie  emblematical 
inscriptions  there.  As  to  the  rest,  Isa.  xliv.  5  is  the  key  to  its 
meaning.  The  threefold  1^^  here  corresponds  to  the  threefold 
n.T  in  that  passage. 

Since  Eahab  and  Babylon  as  the  foremost  worldly  powers 
are  mentioned  first  among  the  peoples  who  come  into  the 
congregation  of  Jahve,  and  since  the  prospect  of  the  poet 
has  moulded  itself  according  to  a  present  rich  in  promise  and 
carrying  such  a  future  in  its  bosom,  it  is  natural  (with  Tholuck, 
Hengstenberg,  Vaihinger,  Keil,  and  others)  to  suppose  that  the\ 
Psalm  was  composed  when,  in  consequence  of  the  destruction 
of  the  Assyrian  army  before  Jerusalem,  offerings  and  presents 
were  brought  from  many  quarters  for  Jahve  and  the  king  of 
Judah  (2  Cliron.  xxxii.  23),  and  the  admiration  of  Hezekiah,. 
the  favoured  one  of  God,  had  spread  as  far  as  Babylon.  Just 
as  Micah  (ch.  iv.  10)  mentions  Babylon  as  the  place  of  the 
chastisement  and  of  the  redemption  of  his  nation,  and  as 
Isaiah,  about  the  fourteenth  year  of  Hezekiah's  reign,  predicts 
to  the  king  a  carrying  away  of  his  treasures  and  his  posterity 
to  Babylon,  so  here  Egypt  and  Babylon,  the  inheritress  of 
Assyria,  stand  most  prominent  among  the  worldly  powers  that 
shall  be  obliged  one  day  to  bow  themselves  to  the  God  of  Israel. 
In  a  similar  connection  Isaiah  (ch.  xix.)  does  not  as  yet  mention 
Babylon  side  by  side  with  Egypt,  but  Assyria. 

Vers.  1-4.  The  poet  is  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of 
the  glory  of  a  matter  which  he  begins  to  celebrate,  without 
naming  it.  Whether  we  render  it :  His  founded,  or  (since 
ID^p  and  IQ^l^  are  both  used  elsewhere  as  pa?'^.  pass.)  :  His 
foundation  (after  the  form  n^^pp,  poeticailly  for  liC)',  a  founding, 
then  that  which  is  set  fast  =  a  foundation),  the  meaning  remains 
the  same  ;  but  the  more  definite  statement  of  the  object  with 
P'V  "'?.i!^  is  more  easily  connected  with  what  precedes  by  regard- 
ing it  as  a  participle.  The  suffix  refers  to  Jahve,  and  it  is  Zion, 
whose  praise  is  a  favourite  theme  of  the  Korahitic  songs,  tliat 
is  intended.  We  cannot  tell  by  looking  to  the  accents  whether 
the  clause  is  to  be  taken  as  a  substantival  clause  (His  founded 
[city]  is  upon  the  holy  mountains)  or  not.  Since,  however, 
the  expression  is  not  t^'^r'?.:!^!?  J*'!?  i'"i^^D',  t^'lp  '""^'"'^  ^n^^O'  i« 
an  object  placed  first  in  advance  (which  the  antithesis  to  the 

VOL.  III.  2 


13  PSAUI  LXXXVir.  1-4. 

other  dwellings  of  Jacob  would  admit  of),  ami  in  ver.  2«  a 
new  synonymous  object  is  subordinated  to  3nk  by  a  similar 
turn  of  the  discourse  to  Jer.  xiii.  27,  vi.  2  (Ilitzig).  By  alter- 
ing the  division  of  the  verses  as  Hupfeld  and  Hofmann  do 
(His  foundation  or  founded  [city]  upon  the  holy  mountains 
doth  Jahve  love),  ver.  2  is  decapitated.  Even  now  the  God- 
founded  city  (surrounded  on  three  sides  by  deep  valleys),  whose 
firm  and  visible  foundation  is  the  outward  manifestation  of  its 
imperishable  inner  nature,  rises  aloft  above  all  the  other  dwell- 
ing-places of  Israel.  Jahve  stands  in  a  lasting,  faithful,  loving 
relationship  (^HN*,  not  d  prcet.  3ns)  to  the  gates  of  Zion.  These 
gates  are  named  as  a  periphrasis  for  Zion,  because  they  bound 
the  circuit  of  the  city,  and  any  one  who  loves  a  city  delights  to 
go  frequently  through  its  gates ;  and  they  are  perhaps  men- 
tioned in  prospect  of  the  fulness  of  the  heathen  that  shall  enter 
into  them.  In  ver.  3  the  LXX.  correctly,  and  at  the  same 
time  in  harmony  with  the  syntax,  renders  :  AeBo^aa/bueva  i\a- 
Xi',9r)  'irepl  aov.  The  construction  of  a  plural  subject  with  a 
singular  predicate  is  a  syntax  common  in  other  instances  also, 
whether  the  subject  is  conceived  of  as  a  unity  in  the  form  of 
the  plural  {e.g.  Ixvi.  3,  cxix.  137,  Isa.  xvi.  8),  or  is  indivi- 
dualized in  the  pursuance  of  the  thought  (as  is  the  case  most 
likely  in  Gen.  xxvii.  29,  cf.  xii.  3)  ;  here  the  glorious  things 
are  conceived  of  as  the  sum-total  of  such.  The  operation  of 
the  construction  of  the  active  (Ew.  §  295,  b)  is  not  probable  here 
in  connection  with  the  participle.  3  beside  "13'^  may  signify 
the  place  or  the  instrument,  substance  and  object  of  the  speecli 
(e.g.  cxix.  46),  but  also  the  person  against  whom  the  words  are 
spoken  (e.g.  1.  20),  or  concerning  whom  they  are  uttered  (as  the 
words  of  the  suitor  to  the  father  or  the  relatives  of  the  maiden, 
1  Sam.  XXV.  39,  Cant.  viii.  8  ;  cf.  on  the  construction,  1  Sam. 
;  xix.  3).  The  poet,  without  doubt,  here  refers  to  the  words  of 
(promise  concerning  the  eternal  continuance  and  future  glory 
of  Jerusalem  :  Glorious  things  are  spoken,  i.e.  exist  as  spoken, 
in  reference  to  thee,  O  tliou  city  of  (jiod,  city  of  His  choice  and 
of  His  love. 

The  glorious  contents  of  the  promise  are  now  unfolded,  and 

that  with  the  most  vivid  directness  :  Jahve  Himself  takes  up 

the  discourse,  and  declares  the  gracious,  glorious,  world-wide 

.  mission  of  His  chosen  and  beloved  city :  it  shall  become  the 


rSALM  LXXXVII.  5-7.  13 

birtli-place  of  all  nations.     Rahah  is  Egypt,  as  in  Ixxxix.  11, i 
Isa.  XXX.  7,  li.  9,  the  southern  worldly  power,  and  Babylon  the  j 
northern.      i''3t'?,   as   frequently,   of   loud    (Jer.  iv.   16)  and 
honourable   public  mention  or  commemoration,  xlv.   18.     It 
does  not  signify  "to  record  or  register  in  writing;"  for  the 
official  name  "i^STD,  which  is  cited  in  support  of  this  meaning, 
designates  the  historian  of   the  empire  as  one  who  keeps  in 
remembrance  the  memorable  events  of  the  history  of  his  time 
It  is  therefore   impossible,  with  Hofmann,  to  render :  I  will 
add  Rahab  and  Babylon  to  those  who  know  me.     In  general 
?  is  not  used  to  point  out  to  whom  the  addition  is  made  as 
belonging  to  them,  but  for  what  purpose,  or  as  what  (cf.  2  Sam. 
V.  3,  Isa.  iv.  3),  these  kingdoms,  hitherto  hostile  towards  God 
and  His  people,  shall  be  declared  :  Jahve  completes  what  He 
Himself    has   brought   about,   inasmuch   as  He   publicly  and 
colemnly  declares  them  to  be  those  who  know  Him,  i.e.  those 
who  experimentally  (^vid.  xxxvi.  11)   know  Him  as  their  God. 
Accordingly,  it  is  clear  that  D"C'"n'?.^  nt  is  also  meant  to  refer  t(i 
the  conversion  of  the  other  three  nations  to  whom  the  fingerj 
of  God  points  with  nan,  viz.  the  war-loving  Philistia,  the  richl 
and  proud  Tyre,  and  the  adventurous  and  powerful  Ethiopia' 
(Isa.  ch.  xviii.).     nj  does  not  refer  to  the  individuals,  nor  to  theh 
sum-total  of  these  nations,  but  to  nation  after  nation  (cf.  nj 
Ei*^,  Isa.  xxiii.  13),  by  fixing  the  eye  upon  each  one  separately. 
And  DK'  refers  to  Zion.     The  words  of  Jahve,  which  come  in 
without  any  intermediary  preparation,  stand  in  the  closest  con- 
nection with  the  language  of  the  poet  and  seer.     Zion  appear.s\^ 
elsewhere  as  the  mother  who  brings  forth   Israel  again  as  a  \ 
numerous  people  (Isa.  Ixvi.  7,  liv,  1-3)  :  it  is  the  children  of 
the  dispersion  (diaspora)  which  Zion  regains  in  Isa.  Ix.  4  sq. ;  ) 
here,  however,  it  is  the  nations  which  are  born  in  Zion.     The\ 
poet  does  not  combine  with  it  the  idea  of  being  born  again  in 
the  depth  of  its  New  Testament  meaning;  he  means,  however, 
that  the   nations  v/ill    attain   a  right  of   citizenship  in   Zloii 
{iroXireui  tov  'I<Tpa)'j\  Eph.  ii.  12)  as  in  their  second  mother- 
city,  that  they  will  therefore  at  any  rate  experience  a  spiritual 
change  which,    regarded  from   the  New  Testament    point  of  / 
view,  is  the  new  birth  out  of  water  and  the  Spirit. 

Vers.  5-7.   Inasmuch  now  as  the  nations  come  thus  into 
the  church  (or  congregation)  of  the  children  of  God  and  oi 


20  PSAOI  LXXXVII.  5-7. 

the  cliildren  of  Abi'aliam,  Zion  becomes  by  degrees  a  church 
immeasurably  great.  To  Zion,  however,  or  of  Zion  (^  of 
reference  to),  shall  it  be  said  ^^'^^'  t:'\S]  C*''S.  Zion,  the  one 
city,  stands  in  contrast  to  all  the  countries,  the  one  city  of  God 
in  contrast  to  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  t^"^5)  t^''^^  in  con- 
trast to  nt.  This  contrast,  upon  the  correct  apprehension  of 
which  depends  the  understanding  of  the  whole  Psalm,  is  missed 
when  it  is  said,  "  whilst  in  relation  to  other  countries  it  is 
always  only  the  whole  nation  that  comes  under  consideration, 
Zion  is  not  reckoned  up  as  a  nation,  but  by  persons"  (Hof- 
mann).  With  this  rendering  the  1?^  retires  into  the  back- 
ground ;  in  that  case  this  giving  of  prominence  to  the  value  of 
the  individual  exceeds  the  ancient  range  of  conception,  and  it  is 
also  an  inadmissible  appraisement  that  in  Zion  each  individual 
is  as  important  as  a  nation  as  a  whole.  Elsewhere  ti'^i?  ^''^, 
Lev.  xvii.  10,  13,  or  ^"'Nl  ti>''N,  Esth.  i.  8,  signifies  each  and 
every  one ;  accordingly  here  t^'''X1  \i'''ii.  (individual  and,  or  after, 
individual)  affirms  a  pror/ressus  in  infinitum^  where  one  is  ever 
added  to  another.  Of  an  immeasurable  multitude,  and  of  each 
individual  in  this  multitude  in  particular,  it  is  said  that  he  was 
born  in  Zion.  Now,  too,  pv.V  ^.^-^.^7^^  ^^'^1  has  a  significant  con- 
nection with  what  precedes.  AVhilst  from  among  foreign 
peoples  more  and  more  are  continually  acquiring  the  right  of 
natives  in  Zion,  and  thus  are  entering  into  a  new  national 
alliance,  so  that  a  breach  of  their  original  national  friendships 
is  taking  place,  He  Himself  (cf.  1  Sam.  xx.  9),  the  Most  High, 
will  uphold  Zion  (xlviii.  9),  so  that  under  His  protection  and 
blessing  it  shall  become  ever  greater  and  more  glorious.    Ver.  G 

tells  us  what  will  be  the  result  of  such  a  progressive  incorpo- 
ation  in  the  church  of  Zion  of  those  who  have  hitherto  been 
ar  removed,  viz.  Jahve  will  reckon  when  He  writeth  down 
2in3  as  in  Josh,  xviii.  8)  the  nations  ;  or  better, — since  this 
would  more  readily  be  expressed  by  i^^^a,  and  the  book  of  the 
living   (Isa.  iv.  3)  is  one   already  existing  from  time  imme- 
.  morial, — He  will  reckon  in  the  list  (2in3  after  the  form  Di-'n, 
\  ^"i^n,  ""^P?  =  2^??)  Ezek.  xiii.  9)  of   the  nations,  i.e.  when  He 
Igoes  over  the  nations  that  are  written  down  there  and  chosen 
Ifor  the  coming  salvation,  "  this  one  was  born  there ;"  lie  will 
therefore  acknowledge  them  one  after  another  as  those  born  in 
Zion.     The  end  of  all  history  is  that  Zion  shal'  become  the 


rSALM  LXXXVIII.  21 

metropolis  of  all  nations.     When  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  i 
is  thus  come  in,  then  shall  all  and  each  one  as  well  singing  as  I 
dancing   say   (supply  =i"iDX^)  :    All   my  fountains  are  in   thee,  j 
Among  the  old  translators  the  rendering  of  Aquila  is  the  best : 
Kol  aSoz/re?  to?  %opot-  iraaat  Trrjyal  ev  aoi,  which  Jerome  follows, 
et  cant07'es  quasi  in  choris  :  oinnes  fontes  mei  in  te.     One  would 
rather  render  ^''??f},  "  flute-players"  (LXX.  a>9  iv  av\ot<i)  ;    but 
to  pipe  or  play  the  flute  is  7^0  (a  denominative  from  ^y'^), 
1  Kings  i.  40,    whereas   to  dance  is  ??n  (^FUel  of  ^in)  ;  it  is 
therefore  =  D''7?inp,  like  Q''VX?j  Hos.  vii.  5.     But  it  must  not 
moreover  be  rendered,  "  And  singers  as  well  as  dancers  (will 
say) ;"  for  "  singers"  is  C^ny^P?  ^^^  ^"'l^j  which  signifies  can- 
tantes,  not  cantores.     Singing  as  dancing,  i.e.  making  known^ 
their  festive  joy  as  well  by  the  one  as  by  the  other,  shall  the/ 
men  of  all  nations  incorporated  in  Zion  say :  All  my  fountains,\ 
i.e.  fountains  of  salvation  (after  Isa.  xli.  3),  are  in  thee  (O  city] 
of  God).    It  has  also  been  interpreted:  my  looks  (i.e.  the  object 
on  which  my  eye  is  fixed,  or  the  delight  of  my  eyes),  or :  my 
thoughts  (after  the  modern  Hebrew   i.'V  of   spiritual    medita- 
tion) ;    but  both  are  incongruous.      The   conjecture,   too,  of 
Bottcher,  and  even  before  him  of  Schnurrer  (Dissertationes, 
p.  150),  '•?"'VP"''^?  all  who  take  up  their  abode  (Instead  of  which 
Hupfeld  conjectures  ''■3''>'0,  all  my  near-dwellers,  i.e.  those  who 
dwell  with  me  under  the  same  roof*),  is  not   Hebrew,  and 
deprives  us  of  the  thought  which  corresponds  to  the  aim  of  the 
whole,  that  Jerusalem  shall  be  universally  regarded  as  the  place 
where  the  water  of  life  springs  for  the  whole  of  mankind,  and    - 
shall  be  universally  praised  as  this  place  of  fountains. 


PSALM    LXXXVIII. 

TLAINTIVE  PRAYER  OF  A  PATIENT  SUFFERER  LIKE  JOB. 

2  JAHVE,  God  of  my  salvation, 

In  the  time  when  I  cry  in  the  night  before  Thee, 


*  Hupfeld  cites  Rashi  as  Laving  tlius  explained  it ;  but  his  gloss  is  to 
be  rendered:  my  w  lole  iumost  part  (after  the  Aramaic  =  Vd)  is  with  thee, 
i.e.  thy  salvation. 


22  PSALM  LXXXVIII. 

3  Let  my  prayer  come  before  Thy  face, 
Incline  Tliine  ear  to  my  crying. 

4  For  satiated  with  sufferings  is  my  soul, 
And  my  life  is  come  nigh  unto  Hades. 

5  I  am  accounted  as  those  who  go  down  to  the  pit, 
I  am  become  as  a  man  that  hath  no  strength — ■ 

6  A  freed  one  among  the  dead, 

Like  the  slain,  those  buried  in  the  grave, 
Whom  Thou  rememberest  no  more, 
And  they  are  cut  off  from  Thy  hand. 

7  Tliou  hast  laid  me  in  the  pit  of  the  abysses. 
In  darknesses,  in  the  depths  of  the  sea. 

8  Upon  me  Thy  fierce  anger  lieth  hard, 

And  all  Thy  waves  dost  Thou  bend  down.     [Scla.) 

9  Thou  hast  removed  my  familiar  friends  from  me, 
Thou  hast  made  me  an  abomination  to  them. 
Who  am  shut  up  and  cannot  come  forth. 

10  j\Iine  eye  languisheth  by  reason  of  affliction, 
I  call  upon  Tliee,  Jahve,  every  day, 

I  stretch  out  my  hands  unto  Thee. 

11  Wilt  Thou  do  wonders  unto  the  dead, 

Or  shall  the  shades  arise  to  give  thanks  unto  Thee  ?    (Sell.) 

12  Shall  Thy  loving-kindness  be  declared  in  the  grave, 
Thy  faithfulness  in  the  place  of  destruction  ? 

13  Shall  Thy  wonder-working  power  be  made  known  in  tlie 

darkness, 
And  Thy  righteousness  in  the  land  of  forgetfulness? 

14  And  as  for  me — to  Thee,  Jahve,  do  I  cry, 

Even  in  the  morning  my  prayer  cometh  to  meet  Thee. 

15  Wlierefore,  Jahve,  dost  Thou  cast  off  my  soul, 
Dost  Thou  hide  Thy  face  from  me  ? 

10  Needy  am  I  and  ready  to  die  from  my  youth  up, 
I  bear  Thy  terrors,  I  am  utterly  helpless. 

17  Over  me  Thy  fierce  anger  hath  passed, 
Thy  terrors  have  destroyed  me. 


PSAL.M  LXXXVIII.  23 

IS  They  have  surrounded  me  like  waters  all  tlie  day, 

They  compassed  me  about  altogether. 
19  Thou  hast  removed  far  from  me  lover  aud  friend, 

My  familiar  friends  are  darkness. 

Ps.  Ixxxviii.  is  as  gloomy  as  Ps,  Ixxxvii.  is  cheerful ;  they 
stand  near  one  another  as  contrasts.  Kot  Ps.  Ixxvii.,  as  the 
old  expositors  answer  to  the  question  qncenam  ode  omnium 
iristissima^  but  this  Ps.  Ixxxviii.  is  the  darkest,  gloomiest,  of 
all  the  plaintive  Psalms ;  for  it  is  true  the  name  "  God  of  my 
salvation,"  with  which  the  praying  one  calls  upon  God,  and  his 
praying  itself,  show  that  tlie  spark  of  faith  within  him  is  not 
utterly  extinguished ;  but  as  to  the  rest,  it  is  all  one  pouring 
forth  of  deep  lament  in  the  midst  of  the  severest  conflict  of 
temptation  in  the  presence  of  death,  the  gloom  of  melancholy 
does  not  brighten  up  to  become  a  hope,  the  Psalm  dies  away 
in  Job-like  lamentation.  Herein  we  discern  echoes  of  the 
Korahitic  Ps.  xlii.  and  of  Davidic  Psalms :  compare  ver.  3  with 
xviii.  7 ;  ver.  5  with  xxviii.  1 ;  ver.  6  with  xxxi.  23 ;  ver.  18 
with  xxii.  17;  ver.  19  (although  differently  applied)  with  xxxi. 
12 ;  and  more  particularly  the  questions  in  vers.  11-13  with 
vi.  6,  of  which  they  are  as  it  were  only  the  amj)lification.  But 
these  Psalm-echoes  are  outweighed  by  the  still  more  striking 
j)oints  of  contact  with  the  Book  of  Job,  both  as  regards 
linguistic  usage  (3^?■^,  ver.  10,  Job  xli.  44;  ^''ND^,  ver.  11,  Job 
xxvi.  5 ;  p■^?^5,  ver.  12,  Job  xxvi.  6,  xxviii.  22 ;  ">p,  ver.  16fl, 
Job  xxxiii.  'Ib^  xxxvi.  14;  D'p^*,  ver.  lOb,  Job  xx.  25;  DW3, 
ver.  17,  Job  vi.  4)  and  single  thoughts  (cf.  ver.  5  with  Job 
xiv.  ]0;  ver.  9  with  Job  xxx.  10;  ver.  19  with  Job  xvii.  9, 
xix.  14),  and  also  the  suffering  condition  of  the  poet  aud  the 
whole  manner  in  which  this  finds  expression.  For  the  poet 
finds  himself  in  the  midst  of  the  same  temptation  as  Job  not 
merely  so  far  as  his  mind  and  spirit  are  concerned ;  but  his  out- 
ward affliction  is,  according  to  the  tenor  of  his  complaints,  the 
same,  viz.  the  leprosy  (ver.  9),  which,  the  disposition  to  which 
being  born  with  him,  has  been  his  inheritance  from  his  youth 
up  (ver.  16).  Now,  since  the  Book  of  Job  is  a  Chokma-work 
of  the  Salomonic  age,  and  the  two  Ezrahites  belonged  to  the 
wise  men  of  the  first  rank  at  the  court  of  Solomon  (1  Kings 
v.  11  [iv.  31]),  it  is  natural  to  suppose  that  the  Book  of  Job 


24  rSALM  LXXXVIII.  2-8. 

lias  sprnnfT  out  of  this  very  Cliokma-company,  and  that  perliaps 
this  very  Henian  the  Ezrahite  who  is  the  author  of  Ps.  Ixxxviii. 
has  made  a  passage  of  his  own  life,  suffering,  and  conflict  of 
soul,  a  subject  of  dramatic  treatment. 

The  inscription  of  the  Psalm  runs :  A  Psalm-song  hy  the 
Koraldtes ;  to  the  Precentor,  to  he  recited  (lit.  to  be  j^'^'^ssed 
doivn,  not  after  Isa.  xxvii.  2  :  to  be  sung,  which  expresses 
nothing,  nor :  to  be  sung  alternatingly,  which  is  contrary  to  the 
character  of  the  Psalm)  after  a  sad  manner  (cf.  liii.  1)  ivith 
m%(ffied  voice,  a  meditation  hy  Heman  the  Ezrahite.  This  is  a 
double  inscription,  the  two  halves  of  which  are  contradictory. 
The  bare  pM^  side  by  side  with  mp~''J3!'  would  be  perfectly  in 
order,  since  the  precentor  Heman  is  a  Korahite  according  to 
1  Chron.  vi.  18-23  [33-38] ;  but  ^misn  p^n  is  the  name  of  one 
of  the  four  great  Israelitish  sages  in  1  Kings  v.  11  [iv.  31], 
who,  according  to  1  Chron.  ii,  6,  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Zerah, 
and  therefore  is  not  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  but  of  Judah.  Tlie 
suppositions  that  Heman  the  Korahite  had  been  adopted  into 
the  family  of  Zerah,  or  that  Heman  the  Ezrahite  had  been 
admitted  among  the  Levites,  are  miserable  attempts  to  get  over 
the  difficulty.  At  the  head  of  the  Psalm  there  stand  two 
different  statements  respecting  its  origin  side  by  side,  which 
are  irreconciUible.  The  assumption  that  the  title  of  the 
Psalm  originally  was  either  merely  mp"''jni5  "ilDTD  T'K',  or  merely 
'W^  nv:o^,  is  warranted  by  the  fact  that  only  in  this  one  Psalm 
nV3D^  does  not  occupy  the  first  place  in  the  inscription.  But 
which  of  the  two  statements  is  the  more  reliable  one?  Most 
assuredly  the  latter;  for  mp"''J3b  "IIDTO  y^  is  only  a  recurrent 
repetition  of  the  inscription  of  Ps.  Ixxxvii.  The  second  state- 
ment, on  the  other  hand,  by  its  precise  designation  o"  the 
melody,  and  by  the  designation  of  the  author,  which  corresponds 
to  the  Psalm  that  follows,  gives  evidence  of  its  antiquity  and 
its  historical  character. 

Vers.  2-8.  Tiie  poet  finds  himself  in  the  midst  of  circum- 
stances gloomy  in  the  extreme,  but  he  does  not  despair;  he  still 
turns  towards  Jahve  with  his  complaints,  and  calls  Plim  the 
God  of  his  salvation.  This  actus  directus  of  fleeing  in  prayer 
to  the  God  of  salvation,  which  urges  its  way  through  all  tha 
is  dark  and  gloomy,  is  the  fundamental  characteristic  of  all  true 


PSALM  LXXXVIII.  2-8.  25 

filth.  Ver.  2a  is  not  to  be  rendered,  as  a  clause  of  itself :  "  by 
day  I  cry  unto  Thee,  in  the  night  before  Thee"  (LXX.  and 
Targum),  which  ought  to  have  been  C^V^  but  (as  it  is  also 
pointed,  especially  in  Buer's  text)  :  by  day,  i.e.  in  the  time  (Ivi. 
4,  Ixxviii.  42,  cf.  xviii.  1),  when  I  cry  before  Thee  in  the  night, 
let  my  prayer  come  .  .  .  (Hitzig).  In  ver.  db  he  calls  his 
piercing  lamentation,  his  wailing  supplication,  '^n,  as  in  xvii. 
1,  Ixi.  2.  HLsn  as  in  Ixxxvi.  1,  for  which  we  find  t:n  in  xvii.  6. 
The  Beth  of  niyns,  as  in  Ixv.  5,  Lam.  iii.  15,  30,  denotes  that 
of  which  his  soul  has  already  had  abundantly  sufficient.  On 
ver.  4:b,  cf.  as  to  the  syntax  xxxi.  11.  ?^X  (^aira^  Xe^ofi.  like 
ri'iP^X,  xxii.  20)  signifies  succinctness,  compactness,  vigorousness 
(dSpoTTTi) :  he  is  like  a  man  from  whom  all  vital  freshness  and 
vigour  is  gone,  therefore  now  only  like  the  shadow  of  a  man, 
in  fact  like  one  already  dead.  ''^P^,  in  ver.  Ga,  the  LXX. 
readers  iv  veKpoh  i\ev9epo^  (Symmachus,  a<^e\<;  iX.evOepo<;)  ; 
and  in  like  manner  the  Tai'gum,  and  the  Talmud  which  follows 
it  in  formulating  the  proposition  that  a  deceased  person  is  '•u'^n 
mii'on  |D,  free  from  the  fulfilling  of  the  precepts  of  the  Law  (cf . 
Rom.  vi.  7).  Hitzig,  Ewald,  Koster,  and  Bottcher,  on  the 
contrary,  explain  it  according  to  Ezek.  xxvii.  20  (where  K'Sh 
signifies  stragidnm)  :  among  the  dead  is  my  couch  (^'li'sn  =  'j;i^'% 
Job  xvii.  13).  But  in  respect  of  Job  iii.  19  the  adjectival 
rendering  is  the  more  probable ;  "  one  set  free  among  the 
dead"  (LXX.)  is  equivalent  to  one  released  from  the  bond 
of  life  (Job  xxxix.  5),  somewhat  as  in  Latin  a  dead  person  is 
called  defunctus.  God  does  not  remember  the  dead,  i.e.  prac-^ 
tically,  inasmuch  as,  devoid  of  any  progressive  history,  their 
condition  remains  always  the  same ;  they  are  in  fact  cut  away 
("1TJ3  as  in  xxxi.  23,  Lam.  iii.  54,  Isa.  liii.  8)  from  the  hand, 
viz.  from  the  guiding  and  helping  hand,  of  God.  Their 
dwelling-place  is  the  pit  of  the  places  lying  deep  beneath  (cf. 
on  ni'rinn^  Ixiii.  10,  Ixxxvi.  13,  Ezek.  xxvi.  20,  and  more  par- 
ticularly Lam.  iii.  55),  the  dark  regions  (Q''3U'nD  as  in  cxliii.  3, 
Lam.  iii.  6),  the  submarine  depths  (nipvpn;  LXX.,  Symmachus, 
the  Syriac,  etc. :  iv  aKia  Oavdrov  =  niD!5:i3,  according  to  Job 
X.  21  and  frequently,  but  contrary  to  Lam.  iii.  54),  whose  open 
abyss  is  the  grave  for  each  one.  On  ver.  86  cf.  xlii.  8.  The 
Mugrash  by  ina'ii'Q'^^  stamps  it  as  an  adverbial  accusative 
(Targum),  or  more  correctly,  since  the  expression  is  not  'jrT'jy, 


2G  PSALM  LXXXVIII.  9-13. 

as  the  object  ])laced  in  advance.  Only  those  who  are  not  con- 
versant with  the  subject  (as  Hupfeld  in  this  instance)  imagine 
that  tlie  accentuation  marks  ^"'31'  as  a  relative  clause  (cf.  on  the 
contrary  viii.  lb,  xxi.  ob,  etc.).  nsy,  to  bow  down,  press  down ; 
here  used  of  the  turning  or  directing  downwards  (LXX. 
iWjyaye'?)  of  the  waves,  which  burst  like  a  cataract  over  the 
afflicted  one. 

Vers.  9-13.  The  octastichs  are  now  followed  by  hexastichs 
which  belong  together  in  pairs.  The  com})laint  concerning  the 
alienation  of  his  nearest  relations  sounds  like  Job  xix.  13  sqq., 
but  the  same  strain  is  also  frequently  heard  in  the  earlier 
Psalms  written  in  times  of  suffering,  e.g.  xxxi.  9.  He  is  for- 
saken by  all  his  familiar  friends  (not :  acquaintances,  for  V'^'^p 
signifies  more  than  that),  he  is  alone  in  the  dungeon  of  wretched- 
ness, where  no  one  comes  near  him,  and  whence  he  cannot 
make  his  escape.  This  sounds,  according  to  Lev.  ch.  xiii.,  very 
much  like  the  complaint  of  a  leper.  The  Book  of  Leviticus 
there  passes  over  from  the  uncleanness  attending  the  beginning 
of  human  life  to  the  uncleanness  of  the  most  terrible  disease. 
Disease  is  the  middle  stage  between  birth  and  death,  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  Eastern  notion,  leprosy  is  the  worst  of  all  diseases, 
it  is  death  itself  clinging  to  the  still  living  man  (Num.  xii.  12), 
and  more  than  all  other  evils  a  stroke  of  the  chastening  hand 
of  God  (y^?.),  a  scourge  of  God  (ni?"]y).  The  man  suspected  of 
liaving  leprosy  was  to  be  subjected  to  a  seven  days'  quarantine 
until  the  determination  of  the  priest's  diagnosis ;  and  if  the 
leprosy  was  confirmed,  he  was  to  dwell  apart  outside  the  camp 
(Lev.  xiii.  46),  where,  though  not  imprisoned,  he  was  neverthe- 
less separated  from  his  dwelling  and  his  family  (cf.  Job^  i.  347), 
and  if  a  man  of  position,  would  feel  himself  condemned  to  a 
state  of  involuntary  retirement.  It  is  natural  to  refer  the  NPS, 
which  is  closely  connected  with  ''^^^,  to  this  separation.  '•J''^, 
ver.  10,  instead  of  ''^V,  as  in  vi.  8,  xxxi.  10 ;  his  eye  has  lan- 
guished, vanished  away  (3XT  of  the  same  root  as  tdbescei^e, 
cognate  with  the  root  of  J^n,  Ixviii.  3),  in  consequence  of  (his) 
affliction.  He  calls  and  calls  upon  Jalive,  stretches  out  {^W, 
expandere,  according  to  the  Arabic,  more  especially  after  the 
manner  of  a  roof)  his  hands  (jmlmas)  towards  Him,  in  order  to 
shield  himself  from  His  wratli  and  to  lead  Him  compassionately 
to  give  ear  to  him.     In  vers.  11-13  he  bases  his  cry  for  lielp 


PSALM  LXXXYIII.  ii-ia.  27 

upon  a  twofold  wish,  viz.  to  become  an  object  of  the  miraculous 
help  of  God,  and  to  be  able  to  praise  Him  for  it.  Neither  of 
these  wishes  would  be  realized  if  he  were  to  die;  for  that  which 
lies  beyond  this  life  is  uniform  darkness,  devoid  of  any  pro- 
gressive history.  With  crio  alternates  Q''^^2"l  (sing.  Nf)"!),  the 
relaxed  ones,  i.e.  shades  (aKial)  of  the  nether  world.  With 
reference  to  ^1V  instead  of  nilinp^  vid.  Ewald,  §  337,  b.  Beside 
■^l^'H  (Job  X.  21  sq.)  stands  n^^'^  ^^?,  the  land  of  forgetfulness 
(X7]dr]),  where  there  is  an  end  of  all  thinking,  feeling,  and 
acting  (Eccles.  ix.  5,  6,  10),  and  where  the  monotony  of  death, 
devoid  of  thought  and  recollection,  reigns.  Such  is  the  repre- 
sentation given  in  the  Old  Testament  of  the  state  beyond  the 
present,  even  in  Ecclesiastes,  and  in  the  Apocrypha  (Sir.  xvii. 
27  sq.  after  Isa.  xxxviii.  18  sq. ;  Baruch  ii.  17  sq.)  ;  and  it  was 
obliged  to  be  thus  represented,  for  in  the  New  Testament  not 
merely  the  conception  of  the  state  after  death,  but  this  state 
itself,  is  become  a  different  one. 

Vers.  14-19.  He  who  complains  thus  without  knowing 
any  comfort,  and  yet  without  despairing,  gathers  himself  up 
afresh  for  prayer.  With  V.^1  he  contrasts  himself  with  the 
dead  who  are  separated  from  God's  manifestation  of  love. 
Being  still  in  life,  although  under  wrath  that  apparently  has 
no  end,  he  strains  every  nerve  to  struggle  through  in  prayer 
until  he  shall  reach  God's  love.  His  complaints  are  petitions, 
for  they  are  complaints  that  are  poured  forth  before  God.  The 
destiny  under  which  for  a  long  time  he  has  been  more  like  one 
dying  than  living,  reaches  back  even  into  his  youth,  "lyip 
(since  IW  is  everywhere  undeclined)  is  equivalent  to  ^"]y30. 
The  i^rjiropr^dTju  of  the  LXX.  is  the  right  indicator  for  the 
understanding  of  the  uira^  Xc'y.  nji2N.  Aben-Ezra  and  Kimchi 
derive  it  from  iS,  like  npy  from  pV*  and  assign  to  it  the  signifi- 
cation of  duhitare.     But  it  may  be  more  safely  explained  after 

the  Arabic  words  ^^i^  ^i  ,  ^•-'U  (root  (_J',  to  urge  forwards, 
push),  in  which  the  fundamental  notion  of  driving  back,  nar- 


*  The  derivation  is  not  contrary  to  the  genius  of  the  language ;  tlie 
supplementing  productive  force  of  the  language  displayed  in  the  liturgical 
poetry  of  the  synagogue,  also  changes  particles  into  verbs  :  vid.  Zunz, 
Die  s'jnagogaie  Poesie  des  MittcMtcrs,  S.  421. 


28  rSALM  LXXXVIII.  14-19. 

rowing  and  exliaustiug,  is  transferred  to  a  weakening  or  weak- 
ness of  the  intellect.  We  might  also  compare  n:3,  ^i,  "  to 
disappear,  vanish,  pass  away;"  but  the  e^'qiroprjOr^v  of  the 
LXX.   favours   the  kinship  with  that     .•!,  iufirma  mente  et 

consilii  inops  fuit*  which  has  been  already  compared  by  Castell. 
The  aorist  of  the  LXX.,  however,  is  just  as  erroneous  in  this 
instance  as  in  xlii.  5,  Iv.  3,  Ivii.  5.  In  all  these  instances  the 
cohortative  denotes  the  inward  result  following  from  an  outward 
compulsion,  as  they  say  in  Hebrew  :  I  lay  hold  of  trembling 
(Isa.  xiii.  8,  Job  xviii.  20,  xxi.  6)  or  joy  (Isa.  xxxv.  10,  li.  11), 
when  the  force  of  circumstances  drives  one  into  such  states  of 
mind.  Labouring  under  the  burden  of  divine  dispensations  of 
a  terrifying  character,  he  finds  himself  in  a  state  of  mental 
weakness  and  exhaustion,  or  of  insensible  (senseless)  fright ; 
over  him  as  their  destined  goal  before  many  others  go  God's 
burnings  of  wrath  (pliir.  only  in  this  instance),  His  terrible 
decrees  (vid.  concerning  T)])2  on  xviii.  15)  have  almost  anni- 
hilated him.  ''ti^nns^  is  not  an  impossible  form  (Olshausen, 
§  251,  a),  but  an  intensive  form  of  inrsy^  the  last  part  of  the 
already  inflected  verb  being  repeated,  as  in  ^3n  13^^,  Hos.  iv. 
18  (cf.  in  the  department  of  the  noun,  rii-3''S),  edge-edges  = 
many  edges,  cxlix.  G),  perhaps  under  the  influence  of  the  deri- 
vative.f  The  corrections  'JHricy  (from  nn?py)  or  'Jnntsy  (from 
nD>')  are  simple  enough ;  but  it  is  more  prudent  to  let  tradition 
judge  of  that  which  is  possible  in  the  usage  of  the  language. 
In  ver.  18  the  burnings  become  floods  ;  the  wrath  of  God  can 
be  compared  to  every  destroying  and  overthrowing  element. 
The  billows  threaten  to  swallow  him  up,  without  any  helping 
hand  being  stretched  out  to  him  on  the  part  of  any  of  his 
lovers  and  friends.  Is  ver.  19a  to  be  now  explained  according 
to  Job  xvii.  14,  viz.  My  familiar  friends  are  gloomy  darkness  ; 


*  Abulwalid  also  explains  nj'lSX  after  the  Arabic,  but  in  a  way  that 
cannot  be  accepted,  viz.  "  for  a  long  time  onwards,"  from  the  Arabic  ijjan 
(^ihbdn,  iff,  (ifoJ\  //«/,  taiffah),  time,  period — time  conceived  of  in  the  on- 
ward rush,  the  constant  succession  of  its  moments. 

f  lleidcnheim  interprets  :  Tliy  terrors  are  become  to  me  as  nn^i'  (Lev. 
ixv.  23),  i.e.  inalienably  my  own. 


PSALM  LXXXIX.  20 

i.e.  instead  of  tliose  who  were  hitherto  my  famihars  (,iob  xix. 
14),  darkness  is  become  my  familiar  friend  ?  One  would  liave 
thought  that  it  ought  then  to  have  been  ""y^^^  (Sclmurrer),  or, 
according  to  Prov.  vii.  4,  ''V'^^'O^  and  that,  in  connection  with  this 
sense  of  the  noun,  ycni2  ought  as  subject  to  have  the  prece- 
dence, that  consequently  "'J^'^I.^P  is  subject  and  '^'^'^^  predicate  : 
my  familiar  friends  have  lost  themselves  in  darkness,  are  be- 
come absolutely  invisible  (Hitzig  at  last).  But  the  regular 
position  of  the  words  is  kept  to  if  it  is  interpreted  :  my  familiar 
friends  are  reduced  to  gloomy  darkness  as  my  familiar  friend, 
and  the  plural  is  justified  by  Job  xix.  14  :  Mother  and  sister 
(do  I  call)  the  worm.  With  this  complaint  the  harp  falls  from 
the  poet's  hands.  He  is  silent,  and  waits  on  God,  that  He  may 
solve  this  riddle  of  affliction.  From  the  Book  of  Job  we  might 
infer  that  He  also  actually  appeared  to  him.  He  is  more 
faithful  than  men.  No  soul  that  in  the  midst  of  wrath  lays 
hold  upon  His  love,  whether  with  a  firm  or  with  a  trembling 
hand,  is  suffered  to  be  lost. 

PSALM    LXXXIX. 

PRAYER  FOR  A  RENEWAL  OF  THE  MERCIES  OF  DAVID. 

2  OF  the  loving-kindnesses  of  Jahve  for  ever  will  I  sing. 
To  remote  generations  will  I  make  known  Thy  faithfulness 

with  my  mouth. 

3  For  I  say  :  For  ever  is  mercy  being  built  up. 

In  the  heavens — there  dost  Thou  establish  Thy  faithfulness. 

4  "  I  have  made  a  covenant  with  My  chosen, 
I  have  sworn  unto  David  My  servant : 

5  For  ever  will  I  establish  thy  seed, 

And  build  up  thy  throne  to  remote  generations."     (Sela.) 

6  And  the  heavens  praise  Thy  wondrousness,  Jahve, 
Thy  faithfulness  also  in  the  assembly  of  the  holy  ones. 

7  For  who  in  the  sky  can  be  compared  to  Jahve, 
Who  among  the  sons  of  the  gods  is  like  unto  Jahve '? 

8  A  God  terrible  in  the  great  council  of  the  holy  ones. 
And  fearful  above  all  those  who  are  round  about  Him. 


30  PSALM  LXXXIX. 

9  Jahve,  God  of  hosts,  who  is  as  Thou  ?  ! 

A  mighty  One,  Jah,  and  Thy  faithfuhiess  is  round  about 
Thee. 

10  Thou  art  He  who  restraineth  the  pride  of  the  sea ; 
When  its  waves  arise,  Thou  stillest  them. 

11  Thou  hast  crushed  Eahab  as  one  that  is  slain, 

By  the  arm  of  Thy  might  hast  Thou  scattered  Tiiy  foes. 

12  Thine  are  the  heavens,  Thine  also  is  the  earth  ; 

The  earth  and  that  which  filleth  it  hast  Thou  founded. 

13  North  and  south,  Thou  hast  created  them  ; 
Tabor  and  Hermon  shout  for  joy  at  Tliy  name. 

14  Thine  is  an  arm  with  heroic  strength, 
Strong  is  Thy  hand,  exalted  is  Thy  right  hand. 

15  Righteousness  and  right  is  the  foundation  of  Thy  throne, 
Mercy  and  truth  stand  waiting  before  Thee. 

1(3  Blessed  are  the  people  who  know  the  joyful  sound, 
Who  walk,  O  Jahve,  in  the  light  of  Thy  countenance  ! 

17  In  Thy  name  do  they  rejoice  continually. 

And  tlu-ough  Thy  righteousness  are  they  exalted. 

18  For  the  glory  of  their  mightiness  art  Thou, 
And  through  Thy  favour  is  our  horn  exalted. 

11)  For  to  Jahve  belongeth  our  shield. 

And  to  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  our  king. 

20  Once   Tliou   spakest  in   vision    to   Thy  familiar  one,   and 
saidst : 

"  I  have  granted  help  to  a  mighty  one, 

I  have  raised  a  stripling  out  of  the  peoj)le. 
211  have  found  David  My  servant, 

With  My  holy  oil  have  I  anointed  him  ; 

22  With  whom  My  hand  shall  be  stedfast, 
My  arm  also  shall  strengthen  him. 

23  An  enemy  shall  not  ensnare  him. 

And  the  son  of  wantonness  shall  not  oppress  him. 


PSALM  LXXXIX.  31 

^4  1  will  break  in  pieces  his  oppressors  before  him, 
And  I  will  smite  those  who  hate  him. 

25  And  My  faithfulness  and  My  mercy  are  with  him, 
And  in  My  Name  shall  his  horn  be  exalted. 

26  1  will  set  his  hand  upon  the  sea, 
And  his  right  hand  upon  the  rivers. 

27  He  shall  cry  unto  Me  :  My  Father  art  Thou, 
My  God,  and  the  Rock  of  my  salvation  ! 

28  In  return  I  will  make  him  My  first-born. 

The  highest  with  respect  to  the  kings  of  the  earth. 


29  For  ever  will  I  preserve  to  him  My  mercy, 
And  My  covenant  sliall  be  inviolable  with  him, 

30  I  will  make  his  seed  to  endure  for  ever. 
And  his  throne  like  the  days  of  heaven. 

31  If  his  children  shall  forsake  ^ly  law 
And  walk  not  in  My  judgments  ; 

32  If  they  profane  My  statutes 

And  keep  not  ^My  commandments  : 

33  Then  will  I  visit  their  transgression  with  the  rod, 
And  their  iniquity  with  stripes  ; 

34  Nevertheless  My  loving-kindness  will  I  not  break  off  from 

him, 
And  will  not  belie  My  faithfulness — 

35  I  will  not  profane  My  covenant 
Nor  alter  the  vow  of  My  lips. 

36  One  thing  have  I  sworn  by  My  holiness ; 
Verily  I  will  not  deceive  David  : 

37  His  seed  shall  endure  to  eternity, 
And  his  throne  as  the  sun  before  Me. 

38  As  the  moon  shall  it  continue  for  ever — 

And  the  witness  in  the  sky  is  faithful ! "     (Sela.) 

39  And  Thou  Thyself  hast  rejected  and  despised, 
Thou  hast  been  wroth  with  Thine  anointed  ; 


32  PSALM  LXXXIX. 

40  Thou  hast  shaken  off  from  Thee  the  covenant  of   Thv 
servant, 
Thou  hast  profaned  his  diadem  to  the  earth. 


41  Thou  hast  broken  down  all  his  hedges, 
Thou  hast  laid  his  strongholds  in  ruins. 

42  All  who  pass  by  the  way  spoil  him, 

He  is  become  a  reproach  to  his  neighbours. 

43  Thou  hast  exalted  the  right  hand  of  his  oppressors, 
Thou  hast  made  all  his  enemies  to  rejoice. 

44  Thou  didst  also  turn  back  the  edge  of  his  sword. 
And  didst  not  hold  him  erect  in  the  battle. 

45  Thou  hast  caused  him  to  lose  his  splendour, 
And  hast  cast  his  throne  down  to  the  ground. 

46  Thou  hast  shortened  the  days  of  his  youth. 

Thou  hast  covered  him  round  with  shame.     {Sela.) 

47  How  long,  Jahve,  wilt  Thou  hide  Thyself  for  ever, 
Shall  Thy  wrath  burn  like  fire  ? 

48  Kemember  :  I—  how  utterly  perishable  ! 

For  what  vanity  hast  Thou  created  all  the  children  of  men  ! 

49  Who  is  the  man  that  should  live  and  not  see  death 

That  should  be  able  to  secure  his  soul  against  the  nether 
world  ?     {Sela.) 

50  Where  are  Thy  former  loving-kindnesses.  Lord, 
Which  Thou  hast  sworn  to  David  in  Thy  faithfulness  ? 

51  Eemember,  Lord,  the  reproach  of  Tliy  servants, 

That  I  carry  in  my  bosom  the  reproach  of  many  peoples, 

52  Which  reproach— Thine  enemies,  Jahve  !— 
Which  reproach  the  footsteps  of  Thine  anointed. 

53  Blessed  be  Jahve  for  everjiore  ! 

Amen,  and  Amen. 

_  After  having  recognised  the  fact  that  the  double  inscrip. 
tion  of  Ps.  Ixxxviii.  places  two  irreconcilable  statements  con- 
cerning the  origin  of  that  Psalm  side  by  side,  we  renounce  the 


PSALM  LXXXIX.  66 

artifices  by  which  Ethan  (I^'X*)  the  Ezrahite,  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah  (1  Kings  v.  11  [iv.  31],  1  Cliron.  ii.  G),  is  made  to  be 
one  and  the  same  person  with  Ethan  (Jeduthun)  the  son  of 
Kushaiah  the  Merarite,  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  (1  Cliron.  xv.  17, 
vi.  29-32  [44-47]),  the  master  of  the  music  together  with 
Asaph  and  Heman,  and  the  chief  of  the  six  classes  of  musi- 
cians over  whom  his  six  sons  were  placed  as  sub-directors 
(1  Chron.  eh.  xxv.). 

The  collector  has  placed  the  Psalms  of  the  two  Ezrahites 
together.  Without  this  relationship  of  the  authors  the  juxta- 
position would  also  be  justified  by  the  reciprocal  relation  in 
which  the  two  Psalms  stand  to  one  another  by  their  common, 
striking  coincidences  with  the  Book  of  Job.  As  to  the  rest, 
however,  Ps.  Ixxxviii.  is  a  purely  individual,  and  Ps.  Ixxxix.  a 
^JK[  thoroughly  national  Psalm.  Both  the  poetical  character  and 
the  situation  of  the  two  Psalms  are  distinct. 

The  circumstances  in  which  the  writer  of  Ps.  Ixxxix.  finds 
himself  are  in  most  striking  contradiction  to  the  promises  given 
to  the  house  of  David.  He  revels  in  the  contents  of  these 
promises,  and  in  the  majesty  and  faithfulness  of  God,  and  then 
he  pours  forth  his  intense  feeling  of  the  great  distance  between 
these  and  the  present  circumstances  in  complaints  over  the 
afflicted  lot  of  the  anointed  of  God,  and  prays  God  to  be 
mindful  of  His  promises,  and  on  the  other  hand,  of  the  reproach 
by  which  at  this  time  His  anointed  and  His  people  are  over- 
whelmed. The  anointed  one  is  not  the  nation  itself  (Hitzig), 
but  he  who  at  that  time  wears  the  crown.  The  crown  of  tlie 
king  is  defiled  to  the  ground ;  his  throne  is  cast  down  to  the 
earth  ;  he  is  become  grey-headed  before  his  time,  for  all  the 
fences  of  his  land  are  broken  through,  his  fortresses  faller 
and  his  enemies  have  driven  him  out  of  the  field,  so  that 
reproach  and  scorn  follow  him  at  every  step. 

There  was  no  occasion  for  such  complaints  in  the  reign  of 
Solomon  ;  but  surely  in  the  time  of  Pehoboam,  into  the  first 
decade  of  whose  reign  Ethan  the  Ezrahite  may  have  survived 
king  Solomon,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty.  In  the  fifth  year 
of  Eehoboam,  Shishak  (P'^'-'v'  =  Xeaoyx'-'i  =  Sheshonk  /.),  the 


*  This  name  \JVii  is  also  Phceuician  in  the  form  |nv  Itan,    Ircoc; ; 
P""^,  lit'iti,  is  Phoenician,  and  equivalent  to  ubv'P- 

VOL.  III.  8 


34  PSALM  LXXXIX.  2-5. 

first  Pharaoh  of  the  twenty-second  (Bubastic)  dynast}',  marched 
acrainst  Jerusalem  with  a  large  army  gathered  together  out  of 
many  nations,  conquered  the  fortified  cities  of  Judah,  and 
spoiled  the  Temple  and  Palace,  even  carrying  away  with  him 
the  golden  shields  of  Solomon — a  circumstance  which  the  his- 
tory bewails  in  a  very  especial  manner.  At  that  time  Shemaiah 
preached  repentance,  in  the  time  of  the  greatest  calamity  of 
war  ;  king  and  princes  humbled  themselves  ;  and  in  the  midst 
of  judgment  Jerusalem  accordingly  experienced  the  gracious 
forbearance  of  God,  and  was  spared.  God  did  not  complete 
his  destruction,  and  there  also  again  went  forth  D''21D  D''")n, 
i.e.  (cf.  Josh,  xxiii.  14,  Zech.  i.  13)  kindly  comforting  words 
from  God,  in  Judah.  Such  is  the  narrative  in  the  Book  of 
Kings  (1  Kings  xiv.  25-28)  and  as  supplemented  by  the 
chronicler  (2  Chron.  xii.  1-12). 

During  this  very  period  Ps.  Ixxxix.  took  its  rise.  The 
young  Davidic  king,  whom  loss  and  disgrace  make  prematurely 
old,  is  Rehoboam,  that  man  of  Jewish  appearance  whom 
Pharaoh  Sheshonk  is  bringing  among  other  captives  before 
the  god  Amun  in  the  monumental  picture  of  Karnak,  and  who 
bears  before  him  in  his  embattled  ring  the  words  Judhmelek 
(King  of  Judah) — one  of  the  finest  and  most  reliable  dis- 
coveries of  Cliampollion,  and  one  of  the  greatest  triumphs  of 
his  system  of  hieroglyphics.* 

Ps.  Ixxxix.  stands  in  kindred  relationship  not  only  to  Ps. 
Ixxiv.,  but  besides  Ps.  Ixxix.,  also  to  Ps.  Ixxvii.,  Ixxviii.,  all  of 
which  glance  back  to  the  earliest  times  in  the  history  of  Israel. 
They  are  all  Asaphic  Psalms,  partly  old  Asaphic  (Ixxvii., 
Ixxviii.),  partly  later  ones  (Ixxiv.,  Ixxix.).  From  this  fact 
we  see  that  the  Psalms  of  Asaph  were  the  favourite  models  in 
that  school  of  the  four  wise  men  to  which  the  two  Ezrahites 
belong. 

Vers.  2-5.  The  poet,  who,  as  one  sgon  observes,  is  a  DDPI 
(for  the  very  beginning  of  the  Psalm  is  remarkable  and  inge- 
nious), begins  with  the  confession  of  the  inviolability  of  the 
mercies  promised  to  the  house  of  David,  i.e.  of  the  ^^  ^non 


*  Vid.  Blau,  Sisafjs  Zuq  gegen  Juda,  illustrated  from  tlie  monumeut  in 
Karnak,  Deutsche  Morgenland.  Zeitschr.  xv.  233-250. 


PSALM  LXXXIX    C-9.  35 

C'30X3nj  Isa.  Iv.  3.*  God's  faithful  love  towards  the  house  of 
David,  a  love  faithful  to  His  promises,  will  he  sing  without 
ceasing,  and  make  it  known  with  his  mouth,  i.e.  audibly  and 
publicly  (cf.  Job  xix.  16),  to  the  distant  posterity.  Instead  of 
■"IPO,  we  find  here,  and  also  in  Lam.  iii.  22,  -"iipn  with  a  not 
merely  slightly  closed  syllable.  The  Lamed  of  I^J  i"i?  is, 
according  to  ciii.  7,  cxlv.  12,  the  datival  Lamed.  With  ''ri"}nx"''3 
(LXX.,  Jerome,  contrary  to  ver.  3/*,  on  ebira^)  the  poet  bases 
his  resolve  upon  his  conviction.  n:33  means  not  so  much  to  be 
upheld  in  building,  as  to  be  in  the  course  of  continuous  build- 
ing {e.g.  Job  xxii.  23,  Mai.  iii.  15,  of  an  increasingly  pros- 
perous condition).  Loving-kindness  is  for  ever  (accusative  of 
duration)  in  the  course  of  continuous  building,  viz.  upon  the 
unshakeable  foundation  of  the  promise  of  grace,  inasmuch  as 
it  is  fulfilled  in  accordance  therewith.  It  is  a  building  with  a 
most  solid  foundation,  which  will  not  only  not  fall  into  ruins, 
but,  adding  one  stone  of  fulfilment  upon  another,  will  rise  ever 
higher  and  higher.  D)'?*^  then  stands  first  as  casus  ahsol.^  and 
Dn3  is,  as  in  xix.  5,  a  pronoun  having  a  backward  reference 
to  it.  In  the  heavens,  which  are  exalted  above  the  rise  and 
fall  of  things  here  below,  God  establishes  His  faithfulness,  so 
that  it  stands  fast  as  the  sun  above  the  earth,  although  the 
condition  of  things  here  below  seems  sometimes  to  contradict 
it  (cf.  cxix.  89).  Now  follow  in  vers.  4,  5  the  direct  words  of 
God,  the  sum  of  the  promises  given  to  David  and  to  his  seed 
in  2  Sam.  ch.  vii.,  at  which  the  poet  arrives  more  naturally  in 
vers.  20  sqq.  Here  they  are  strikingly  devoid  of  connection. 
It  is  the  special  substance  of  the  promises  that  is  associated  in 
thought  with  the  "loving-kindness"  and  "truth"  of  ver.  3, 
which  is  expanded  as  it  were  appositionally  therein.  Plence 
also  r?^  and  ppj^,  W^^l  and  npn^  correspond  to  one  another. 
David's  seed,  by  virtue  of  divine  faithfulness,  has  an  eter- 
nally sure  existence ;  Jahve  builds  up  David's  throne  "  into 
generation  and  generation,"  inasmuch  as  He  causes  it  to  rise 
ever  fresh  and  vigorous,  never  as  that  which  is  growing  old  and 
feeble. 

Vers.  G-9.     At  the  close  of  the  promises  in  vers.  4,  5  the 


*  The  Vulgate  renders :  Misericordias  Domini  in  asternum  caiital/o.    The 
second  Sunday  after  Easter  takes  its  name  from  this  rendering. 


36  PSALM  LXXXIX.  10-15. 

music  is  to  become  forte.  And  'ni'"!  attaches  itself  to  this 
jubilant  Sela.  In  vers.  6-19  there  follows  a  hymnic  descrip- 
tion of  the  exalted  majesty  of  God,  more  especially  of  His 
omnipotence  and  faithfulness,  because  the  value  of  the  promise 
is  measured  by  the  character  of  the  person  who  promises.  The 
God  of  the  promise  is  He  who  is  praised  by  the  heavens  and 
the  holy  ones  above.  His  way  of  acting  is  N?3,  of  a  transcen- 
dent, paradoxical,  wondrous  order,  and  as  such  the  heavens 
praise  it ;  it  is  pi'aised  (inv,  according  to  Ges.  §  137,  3)  in  the 
assembly  of  the  holy  ones,  i.e.  of  the  spirits  in  the  other  world, 
the  angels  (as  in  Job  v.  1,  xv.  15,  cf.  Deut.  xxxiii.  2),  for  He 
is  peerlessly  exalted  above  the  heavens  and  the  angels.  ?^'''P^ 
poetic  singular  instead  of  ^''v^^'f  (vid.  supra  on  Ixxvii.  18), 
which  is  in  itself  already  poetical ;  and  ^"^y,  not,  as  e.g.  in  Isa.  xl. 

18,  in  the  signification  to  co-ordinate,  but  in  the  medial  sense  : 
to  rank  with,  be  equal  to.  Concerning  D''7X;  ^22^  vid.  on  xxix.  1. 
In  the  great  council  (concerning  ^^D,  of  both  genders,  perhaps 
like  Di3,  vid.  on  xxv.  14)  of  the  holy  ones  also,  Jahve  is  ter- 
rible;  He  towers  above  all  who  are  about  Him  (1  Kings  xxii. 

19,  cf.  Dan.  vii.  10)  in  terrible  majesty,  niin  might,  according 
to  Ixii.  3,  Ixxviii.  15,  be  an  adverb,  but  according  to  the  ordei 
of  the  words  it  may  more  appropriately  be  regarded  as  an 
adjective ;  cf.  Job  xxxi.  34,  nni  Jion  pyx  ^3,  "  when  I  feared 
the" great  multitude."  In  ver.  9  He  is  apostrophized  with  •<rf?ii 
niNDV  as  being  the  One  exalted  above  the  heavens  and  the 
angels.  The  question  "  Who  is  as  Thou  ?"  takes  its  origin  from 
Ex.  XV.  11.  rpQ  is  not  the  construct  form,  but  the  principal 
form,  like  i''^?,  ^"'T.,  /^y,  and  is  a  S\riasm ;  for  the  verbal  stem 

,-rD..K»  is  native  to  the  Aramaic,  in  which  (1  '  ^-»^  =  ""T^''    In 

^l,  what  God  is  is  reduced  to  the  briefest  possible  expression 
(vid.  Ixviii.  19).  In  the  words,  "  Thy  faithfulness  compasseth 
Thee  round  about,"  the  primary  thought  of  the  poet  again 
breaks  through.  Such  a  God  it  is  who  has  the  faithfulness 
with  which  He  fulfils  all  His  promises,  and  the  promises  given 
to  the  house  of  David  also,  as  His  constant  surrounding.  His 
glory  would  only  strike  one  with  terror ;  but  the  faithfulness 
which  encompasses  Him  softens  the  sunlike  brilliancy  of  His 
glory,  and  aw^akens  trust  in  so  majestic  a  Ruler. 

Vers.  10-15.     At  the  tin: 2  of  the  poet  the  nation  of  the 


PSALM  LXXXIX.  10-15.  37 

liouse  of  DavIJ  was  threatened  with  assault  from  violent  foes  ; 
and  this  fact  gives  occasion  for  this  picture  of  God's  power  in 
the  kingdom  of  nature.  He  who  rules  the  raging  of  the  sea, 
also  rules  the  raging  of  the  sea  of  the  peoples,  Ixv.  8.  Hixa, 
a  proud  rising,  here  of  the  sea,  like  niX3  in  xlvi.  4.  Instead  of 
Nib'3,  Hitzig  pleasantly  enough  reads  NVt^'3  =  iSw'Zi  from  nXw' ; 
but  Nib'  is  also  possible  so  far  as  language  is  concerned,  either 
as  an  infinitive  =  Xibo,  xxviii.  2,  Isa.  i.  14  (instead  of  riSL''),  or 
as  an  infinitival  noun,  like  X"^,  loftiness,  .Job  xx.  6,  with  a  like- 
wise rejected  Nun.  The  formation  of  the  clause  favours  our 
taking  it  as  a  verb  :  when  its  waves  rise,  Thou  stillest  them. 

X  From  the  natural  sea  the  poet  comes  to  the  sea  of  the  peoples ; 
and  in  the  doings  of  God  at  the  Red  Sea  a  miraculous  subju- 
gation of  both  seas  took  place  at  one  and  the  same  time.  It  is 
clear  from  Ixxiv.  13-17,  Isa.  li.  9,  that  Egypt  is  to  be  under- 

y  stood  by  Rahab  in  this  passage  as  in  Ixxxvii.  4.  The  word 
signifies  first  of  all  impetuosity,  violence,  then  a  monster,  like 
"  the  wild  beast  of  the  reed,"  Ixviii.  31,  i.e.  the  leviathan  or 
the  dran-on.  riS2T  is  coniufrated  after  the  manner  of  the  Lamed 
He  verbs,  as  in  xliv.  20.  ?^n3  is  to  be  understood  as  describ- 
ing the  event  or  issue  {vid.  xviii.  43)  :  so  that  in  its  fall  the 
proudly  defiant  kingdom  is  like  one  fatally  smitten.  Thereupon 
in  vers.  12-15  again  follows  in  the  same  co-ordination  first  the 
praise  of  God  drawn  from  nature,  then  from  history.  Jahve's 
are  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  He  is  the  Creator,  and  for  that 
very  reason  the  absolute  owner,  of  both.  The  north  and  the 
right  hand,  i.e.  the  south,  represent  the  earth  in  its  entire  com- 
pass from  one  region  of  the  heavens  to  the  other.  Tabor  on 
this  side  of  the  Jordan  represents  the  west  (cf.  Hos.  v.  1),  and 
Hermon  opposite  the  east  of  the  Holy  Land.  Both  exult  by 
reason  of  the  name  of  God ;  by  their  fresh,  cheerful  look  they 
give  the  impression  of  joy  at  the  glorious  revelation  of  the 
divine  creative  might  manifest  in  themselves.  In  ver.  14  the 
praise  again  enters  upon  the  province  of  history.  "  An  arm 
with  (Di')  heroic  strength,"  says  the  poet,  inasmuch  as  he  dis- 
tinguishes between  the  attribute  inherent  in  God  and  the 
medium  of  its  manifestation  in  history.  His  throne  has  as  its 
po,  i.e.  its  immovable  foundation  (Prov.  xvi.  12,  xxv.  5), 
righteousness  of  action  and  right,  by  which  all  action  is  regu- 
lated, and  which  is  unceasingly  realized  by  means  of  the  action 


38  rSALM  LXXXIX.  16-19 

And  mercy  and  truth  wait  upon  Him.  \33  rnp  Is  not :  to  go 
before  any  one  (V.??  "h?.^,  Ixxxv.  14),  but  anticipatingly  to 
present  one's  self  to  any  one,  Ixxxviii.  14,  xcv.  2,  Mic.  vi.  6. 
Mercy  and  truth,  these  two  genii  of  sacred  history  (xliii.  3), 
stand  before  His  face  like  waiting  servants  watching  upon 
His  nod. 

Vers.  16-19.  The  poet  has  now  described  what  kind  of 
God  He  is  upon  whose  promise  the  royal  house  in  Israel 
depends.  Blessed,  then,  is  the  people  that  walks  in  the  light 
of  His  countenance.  ^?n  of  a  self-assured,  stately  walk.  The 
words  nyrin  '•yn^  are  the  statement  of  the  ground  of  the  blessing 
interwoven  into  the  blessing  itself :  such  a  people  has  abun- 
dant cause  and  matter  for  exultation  (cf.  Ixxxiv.  5).  nynn  is 
the  festive  sound  of  joy  of  the  mouth  (Num.  xxiii.  21),  and 
of  trumpets  or  sackbuts  (xxvii.  6).  This  confirmation  of  the 
blessing  is  expanded  in  vers.  17-19.  Jahve's  Q??',  i.e.  reve- 
lation or  manifestation,  becomes  to  them  a  ground  and  object 
of  unceasing  joy ;  by  His  '^P'^V,  i.e.  the  rigour  with  which  He 
binds  Himself  to  the  relationship  He  has  entered  upon  with 
His  people  and  maintains  it,  they  are  exalted  above  abjectness 
and  insecurity.  He  is  iD|V  ^'?.^?^5  the  ornament  of  their 
strength,  i.e.  their  strength  which  really  becomes  an  ornament 
to  them.  In  ver.  186  the  poet  declares  Israel  to  be  this  happy 
people.  Pinsker's  conjecture,  D^"}i?  (following  the  Targum), 
destroys  the  transition  to  ver.  19,  which  is  formed  by  ver.  18b. 
The  plural  reading  of  Kimclii  and  of  older  editions  (e.<j.  Bom- 
berg's),  ^^"^PP,,  is  incompatible  with  the  figure  ;  but  it  is  inniia- 
terial  whether  we  read  CIJ^  with  the  Chelhtb  (Targum,  Jerome), 
or  with  the  Kert  (LXX.,  Syriac)  Dnn.*  ^33JD  and  ^J3^n  in 
ver.  19  are  parallel  designations  of  the  human  king  of  Israel ; 
\^^  as  in  xlvii.  10,  but  not  in  Ixxxiv.  10.  For  we  are  not  com- 
pelled, with  a  total  disregard  of  the  limits  to  the  possibilities 
of  style  (E\v.  §  310,  a),  to  render  ver.  Idb  :  and  the  Holy  One 


*  Zur  GeschicJde  dcs  Karaismus,  pp.  xap  and  3Dp,  according  to  which, 
reversely,  in  Josh.  v.  1  ^ijn^y  is  to  be  read  instead  of  Dliy,  and  Isa.  xxxiii. 
2  ^jyiT  instead  of  DJJ1T,  l^s.  xii.  8  ^3"".D*kJ'n  instead  of  DIDCTl,  Mic.  vii.  19 
i:riSDn  instead  of  DnXDH,  Job  xxxii.  8  ^Dran  instead  of  or^n,  Trov. 
XXV.  27  !|:m3  instead  of  01123  (the  limiting  of  our  honour  brings 
honour,— an  unlikely  interpretation  of  the  "ipn). 


PSALM  LXXXIX.  20-23.  39 

of  Israel,  (as  to  Hlni,  lie)  is  our  King  (Hitzig),  since  we  do  not 
bring  clown  the  Psalm  beyond  the  time  of  the  kings.  Israel's 
shield,  Israel's  king,  the  poet  says  in  the  holy  defiant  confi- 
dence of  faith,  is  Jahve's,  belongs  to  the  Holy  One  of  Israel, 
i.e.  he  stands  as  His  own  possession  under  the  protection  of 
Jahve,  the  Holy  One,  who  has  taken  Israel  to  Himself  for  a 
possession  ;  it  is  therefore  impossible  that  the  Davidic  throne 
should  become  a  prey  to  any  worldly  power. 

Vers.  20-23.  Having  thus  again  come  to  refer  to  the  king 
of  Israel,  the  poet  now  still  further  unfolds  the  promise  given 
to  the  house  of  David.  The  present  circumstances  are  a  con- 
tradiction to  it.  The  prayer  to  Jahve,  for  which  the  way  is 
thus  prepared,  is  for  the  removal  of  this  contradiction.  A  long 
line,  extending  beyond  the  measure  of  the  preceding  lines, 
introduces  the  promises  given  to  David.  With  TX  the  respec- 
tive period  of  the  past  is  distinctly  defined.  The  intimate 
friend  of  Jahve  p''?'^)  is  Nathan  (1  Chron.  xvii.  15)  or  David, 
accordinff  as  we  translate  pTna  "in  a  vision  "  or  "by  means 
of  a  vision."  But  side  by  side  with  the  IT'^'^''  we  also  find  the 
preferable  reading  T'Ton?,  which  is  followed  in  the  renderings 
of  the  LXX.,  Syriac,  Vulgate,  Targum,  Aquila,  Symmachus, 
and  the  Quarta,  and  is  adopted  by  Rashi,  Aben-Ezra,  and 
others,  and  taken  up  by  Heidenheim  and  Baer.  The  plural 
refers  to  Samuel  and  Nathan,  for  the  statement  brings  togetlier 
what  was  revealed  to  these  two  prophets  concerning  David. 
i.iy  is  assistance  as  a  gift,  and  that,  as  the  designation  of  the 
person  succoured  by  it  (pV  nVu'  as  in  xxi.  6)  with  1133  shows, 
aid  in  battle.  "I'nn  (from  "in^  =  "in  in  the  Mishna  :  to  ripen, 
to  be  manly  or  of  marriageable  age,  distinct  from  "i''n?  i'^  vei".  4) 
is  a  young  man,  adolescens :  while  yet  a  young  man  David  was 
raised  out  of  his  humble  lowly  condition  (Ixxviii.  71)  high  above 
the  people.  When  he  received  the  promise  (2  Sam.  ch.  vii.) 
he  had  been  anointed  and  had  attained  to  the  lordship  over 
all  Israel.  Hence  the  preterites  in  vers.  20,  21,  which  are  fol- 
lowed by  promissory  futures  from  ver.  22  onwards,  f^^^  h 
fat.  Niph.,  to  be  established,  to  prove  one's  self  to  be  firm, 
unchangeable  (Ixxviii.  37),  a  stronger  expression  than  '"''.'1'^, 
1  Sam.'xviii.  12,  14,  2  Sam.  iii.  10.  The  Iliph.  wS^;^=n,  derived 
from  Nwb  =  n'j'jj  to  credit  {vid.  on  Isa.  xxiv.  2;  Gesenius, 
Ilengstenberg),  does  not  give  any  suitable  sense ;  it  tlierefore 


40  rsAui  Lxxxix.  24-38. 

signifies  here  as  elsewhere,  "to  impose  upon,  surprise,"  with  3, 
as^in  Iv.  16  with  hv.     Ver.  2U  is  the  eclio  of  2  Sam.  vii.  10. 

Vers.  24-30.  What  is  promised  in  ver,  26  is  world-wide 
dominion,  not  merely  dominion  within  the  compass  promised  in 
the  primeval  times  (Gen.  xv.  18,  2  Chron.  ix.  26),  in  which 
case  it  ought  to  have  been  said  "imni  (of  the  Euphrates).  Nor 
does  the  promise,  however,  sound  so  definite  and  boundless  here 
as  in  Ixxii.  8,  but  it  is  indefinite  and  universal,  without  any 
need  for  our  asking  what  rivers  are  intended  by  nnn:.  iriJ 
3  T,  like  np^  in  Isa.  xi.  14,  of  a  giving  and  taking  possession. 
With  "JX-PiN  (with  retreated  tone,  as  in  cxix.  63, 125)  God  tells 
with  what  He  will  answer  David's  filial  love.  Him  who  is  the 
latest-born  among  the  sons  of  Jesse,  God  makes  the  first-born 
(1133  from  133,  to  be  early,  opp.  ^\^^,  to  be  late,  vid.  Job,  ii. 
21),  and  therefore  the  most  favoured  of  the  "  sons  of  the  Most 
High,"  Ixxxii.  6.  And  as,  according  to  Deut.  xxviii.  1,  Israel 
is  to  be  high  (pv^)  above  all  nations  of  the  earth,  so  David, 
Israel's  king,  in  whom  Israel's  national  glory  realizes  itself,  is 
made  as  the  liigh  one  (l^^y)  with  respect  to  the  kings,  i.e.  above 
the  kings,  of  the  earth.  In  the  person  of  David  his  seed  is 
included ;  and  it  is  that  position  of  honour  which,  after  having 
been  only  prelusively  realized  in  David  and  Solomon,  must  go 
on  being  fulfilled  in  his  seed  exactly  as  the  promise  runs.  The 
covenant  with  David  is,  according  to  ver.  29,  one  that  shall 
stand  for  ever.  David  is  therefore,  as  ver.  30  affirms,  eternal 
in  his  seed  ;  God  will  make  David's  seed  and  throne  IV^,  into 
eternal,  i.e.  into  such  as  will  abide  for  ever,  like  the  days  of 
heaven,  everlasting.  This  description  of  eternal  duration  is, 
as  also  in  Sir.  xlv.  15,  Bar.  i.  11,  taken  from  Deut.  xi.  21 ;  the 
whole  of  ver.  30  is  a  poetic  reproduction  of  2  Sam.  vii.  16. 

Vers.  31-38.  Now  follows  the  paraphrase  of  2  Sam.  vii. 
14,  that  the  faithlessness  of  David's  line  in  relation  to  the 
covenant  shall  not  interfere  with  (annul)  the  faithfulness  of 
God — a  thought  with  which  one  might  very  naturally  console 
one's  self  in  the  reign  of  Eehoboam.  Because  God  has  placed 
the  house  of  David  in  a  filial  relationship  to  Himself,  He  will 
chastise  the  apostate  members  as  a  father  chastises  his  son  ; 
cf.  Prov.  xxiii.  13  sq.  In  1  Chron.  xvii.  13  the  chronicler 
omits  the  words  of  2  Sam.  vii.  14  which  there  provide  against 
perverted  action  (niiynj  on  the  part  of  the  seed  of  David ;  our 


■  'j7>  <0  ' ( 


PSALM  LXXXI.t.  31-C8.  41 

Psalm  proves  their  oiigiiiality.  But  even  if,  as  history  shows, 
this  means  of  chastisement  shouhl  be  ineffectual  in  the  case  of 
individuals,  the  house  of  David  as  such  will  nevertheless  remain 
ever  in  a  state  of  favour  with  Him.  In  ver.  34  "I^SS'N?  ^"^Dni 
i*3V0  corresponds  to  "^?  "i^D^'N^  ^-iDm  in  2  Sam.  vii.  15  (LXX., 
Taro-um)  :  the  fat.  Hiph.  of  "na  is  otherwise  always  iSi^ :  the 
conjecture  "I'pS  is  therefore  natural,  yet  even  the  LXX.  trans- 
lators {ov  /XT)  BiaaKeSdao))  had  i''3X  before  them.  3  "ifp;^  as  in 
xliv.  18.  Tiie  covenant  with  David  is  sacred  with  God  :  lie 
will  not  profane  it  (/?.^,  to  loose  the  bonds  of  sanctity).  He 
will  fulfil  what  has  gone  forth  from  His  lips,  i.e.  His  vow, 
according  to  Deut.  xxiii.  24  [23],  of.  Num.  xxx.  3  [2].  One 
thing  hath  He  sworn  to  David  ;  not :  once  =  once  for  all 
(LXX.),  for  what  is  introduced  by  ver.  36  (cf.  xxvii.  4)  and 
follows  in  vers.  37,  38,  is  in  reality  one  thing  (as  in  Ixii.  12, 
two).  He  hath  sworn  it  per  sanctitatem  suam.  Thus,  and 
not  in  sanctnario  meo,  "V'li?-?  ^^  this  passage  and  Amos  iv.  2 
(cf.  on  Ix.  8)  is  to  be  rendered,  for  elsewhere  the  expression  is 
'3,  Gen.  xxii.  16,  Isa.  xlv.  23,  or  VC'D33,  Amos  vi.  8,  Jer.  li.  14, 
or  ^pt^'3,  Jer  xliv.  26,  or  iJ"'^''?,  Isa.  Ixii.  8.  It  is  true  we  do 
not  read  any  set  form  of  oath  in  2  Sam.  ch.  vii.,  1  Chron.  ch. 
xvii.,  but  just  as  Isaiah,  ch.  liv.  9,  takes  the  divine  promise  in 
Gen.  viii.  21  as  an  oath,  so  the  promise  so  earnestly  and  most 
solemnly  pledged  to  David  may  be  accounted  by  Psalm-poesy 
(here  and  in  cxxxii.  11),  which  reproduces  the  historical  matter 
of  fact,  as  a  promise  attested  with  an  oath.  With  Dt?  in  ver. 
363  God  asserts  that  He  will  not  disappoint  David  in  reference 
to  this  one  thing,  viz.  the  perpetuity  of  his  throne.  This  shall 
stand  for  ever  as  the  sun  and  moon ;  for  these,  though  they 
may  one  day  undergo  a  change  (cii.  27),  shall  nevertheless 
never  be  destroyed.  In  the  presence  of  2  Sam.  vii.  16  it  looks 
as  if  ver.  386  ought  to  be  rendered  :  and  as  the  witness  in  the 
clouds  shall  it  (David's  throne)  be  faithful  (perpetual).  By 
the  witness  in  the  clouds  one  would  then  have  to  understand 
the  rainbow  as  the  celestial  memorial  and  sign  of  an  ever- 
lasting covenant.  Thus  Luther,  Geier,  Schmid,  and  others. 
But  neither  this  rendering,  nor  the  more  natural  one,  "  and  as 
the  perpetual,  faithful  witness  in  the  clouds,"  is  admissible  in 
connection  with  the  absence  of  the  3  of  comparison.  Accord- 
ingly Hengstenberg,  following  the  example  of  Jewish  exposi- 


42  rSALM  LXXXIX.  30-46. 

tors,  renders  :  "  and  the  witness  in  the  clouds  is  perpetual,"  viz. 
the  moon,  so  that  the  continuance  of  the  Davidic  line  would 
be  associated  with  the  moon,  just  as  the  continuance  of  the 
condemned  earth  is  with  the  rainbow.  But  in  what  sense 
would  the  moon  have  the  name,  without  example  elsewhere,  of 
witness  ?  Just  as  the  Book  of  Job  was  the  key  to  the  con- 
clusion of  Ps.  Ixxxviii.,  so  it  is  the  key  to  this  ambiguous  verse 
of  the  Psalm  before  us.  It  has  to  be  explained  according 
to  Job  xvi.  19,  where  Job  says  :  "  Behold  in  heaven  is  my 
witness,  and  my  surety  in  the  heicjhtsr  Jahve,  the  \i^^^.  P^? 
(Deut.  vii.  9),  seals  His  sworn  promise  with  the  words,  "  and 
the  witness  in  the  sky  (ethereal  heights)  is  faithful"  (cf.  con- 
cerning this  Waw  in  connection  with  asseverations,  E\v.  §  340, 
c).  Hengstenberg's  objection,  that  Jahve  cannot  be  called  His 
own  witness,  is  disposed  of  by  the  fact  that  *iy  frequently  sig- 
nifies the  person  who  testifies  anything  concerning  himself;  in 
tliis  sense,  in  fact,  the  whole  Tora  is  called  'n  ri^i?  (the  testi- 
mony of  Jahve). 

Vers.  39-46.  Now  after  the  poet  has  turned  his  thoughts 
towards  the  beginnings  of  the  house  of  David  which  were  so 
rich  in  promise,  in  order  that  he  might  find  comfort  under  the 
sorrowful  present,  the  contrast  of  the  two  periods  is  become  all 
the  more  sensible  to  him.  With  nrixi  in  ver.  39  (And  Thou — 
the  same  who  hast  promised  and  affirmed  tliis  with  an  oath) 
his  Psahn  takes  a  new  turn,  for  which  reason  it  might  even 
have  been  nnyi.  mj  is  used  just  as  absolutely  here  as  in  xliv. 
24,  Ixxiv.  1,  Ixxvii.  8,  so  that  it  does  not  require  any  object  to 
be  supplied  out  of  ver.  396.  ^^1^??.  in  ver.  40  the  LXX. 
renders  KaTeaTp€-\lra<; ;  it  is  better  rendered  in  Lam.  ii.  7  uTreri- 
va^€',  for  1^^?.  is  synonymous  with  "^V^,  to  shake  off,  push  away, 
cf.  Arabic  el-nienair,  the  thrusters  (with  the  lance).  V}.^J^^  is  a 
vocational  name  of  the  king  as  such.  His  crown  is  sacred  as 
being  the  insignia  of  a  God-bestowed  office.  God  has  therefore 
made  the  sacred  thing  vile  by  casting  it  to  the  ground  (?.^n 
pX7,  as  in  Ixxiv.  17,  to  cast  profaningly  to  the  ground).  The 
primary  passage  to  vers.  41,  42  is  Ixxx.  13.  "His  hedges" 
are  all  the  boundary  and  protecting  fences  which  the  land  of 
the  king  has;  and  1"'"i^'20  "  the  fortresses"  of  his  land  (in  both 
instances  without  73,  because  matters  have  not  yet  come  to  such 


rSALM  LXXXIX.  39-16.  43 

a  pass).*  In  inD'^'  the  notions  of  the  king  and  of  the  land  blend 
together,  'n?.!"'''?.^^  ^^^  ^^^®  hordes  of  the  peoples  passing  through 
tiie  land.  VJD*^  are  the  neighbouring  peoples  that  are  otherwise 
liable  to  pay  tribute  to  the  house  of  David,  who  sought  to  take 
every  possible  advantage  of  that  weakening  of  the  Davidic 
kingdom.  In  ver.  44  we  are  neither  to  translate  "  rock  of  his 
sword"  (Ilengstenberg),  nor  "O  rock"  (Olshausen).     "i^V  does 

not  merely  signify  rupes,  but  also  from  another  root  (t,V,jL?, 

originally  of  the  grating  or  shrill  noise  produced  by  pressing 
and  squeezing,  then  more  particularly  to  cut  or  cut  off  with 
])ressure,  w^ith  a  sharply  set  knife  or  the  like)  a  knife  or  a  blade 
(cf.  English  knife,  and  German  knei/en,  to  nip)  :  God  has 
decreed  it  that  the  edge  or  blade  of  the  sword  of  the  king  has 
been  turned  back  by  the  enemy,  that  he  has  not  been  able  to 
maintain  his  ground  in  battle  (inopn  with  e  instead  of  z,  as  also 
when  the  tone  is  not  moved  forward,  ISIic.  v.  4).  In  ver.  45 
the  Mem  of  "nnLiD,  after  the  analogy  of  Ezek.  xvi.  41,  xxxiv. 
10,  and  other  passages,  is  a  preposition :  cessare  fecisti  eiim  a 
splendore  suo.  A  noun  "intpp  =  "inp??  with  Dag.  diriinetis^f  lik? 
cnipp  Ex.  XV.  17,  l?2a  Nah.  iii.'i?  (Abulwalid,  Aben-Ezra, 
Parchon,  Kimchi,  and  others),  in  itself  improbable  in  the  signi- 
fication required  here,  is  not  found  either  in  post-biblical  or  in 
biblical  Hebrew,  inb,  like  "inV,  signifies  first  of  all  not  purity, 
but  brilliancy.  Still  the  form  inb  does  not  lie  at  the  basis  of 
it  in  this  instance ;  for  the  reading  found  here  just  happens 
not  to  be  i"""^^,  but  i"'i^'^P ;  and  the  reading  adopted  by  Norzi, 
lleidenheim,  and  Baer,  as  also  by  Nissel  and  others,  so  far 
as  form  is  concerned  is  not  distinct  from  it,  viz.  ii^*^'?  {mit~ 
tohuro),  the  character  of  the  Shehd  being  determined  by  the 


*  lu  the  list  of  the  nations  and  <^itics  conquered  by  King  Sheshouk  i. 
are  found  even  cities  of  the  tribe  of  Issachar,  cfj.  SJien-ma-aii,  Sunem;  cul. 
Brugsch,  Ileiseherichte,  S.  141-145,  and  LSlau  as  referred  to  above. 

t  The  view  of  Pinsker  (Einkituiig,  S.  G9),  that  this  Dar/.  is  not  a  sign 
of  the  doubUng  of  the  letter,  but  a  diacritic  point  (that  preceded  the 
invention  of  tlie  system  of  vowel-points),  which  indicated  that  the  re- 
spective letter  was  to  be  pronounced  with  a  Chatcph  vowel  {c.fj.  viiluhar), 
is  incorrect.  The  doubling  Dctj.  renders  the  Shcbd  audible,  and  having 
once  become  audible  it  readily  receives  this  or  that  colouring  according 
to  the  nature  of  its  consonant  and  of  the  neighbouring  vowel. 


44  rSALJI  LXXXIX.  47-52. 

analogy  of  the  a  following  (cf.  '"'li'EZi,  2  Kiiigs  ii.  1),  which 
presupposes  the  principal  form  intp  (J5ottcher,  §  386,  of.  siqjra, 
ii.  31,  note).  The  personal  tenor  of  ver.  46a  requires  that  it 
should  be  referred  to  the  then  reigning  Davidic  king,  but  not 
as  dying  before  his  time  (Olshausen),  but  as  becoming  prema- 
turely old  by  reason  of  the  sorrowful  experiences  of  his  reio-n. 
The  larger  half  of  the  kingdom  has  been  wrested  from  him ; 
Egypt  and  the  neighbouring  nations  also  threaten  the  half  that 
remains  to  him ;  and  instead  of  the  kingly  robe,  shame  com- 
pletely covers  him. 

Vers.  47-52.  After  this  statement  of  the  prcj-ent  condition 
of  things  the  psalmist  begins  to  pray  for  the  removal  of  all  that 
is  thus  contradictory  to  the  promise.  Tlie  plaintive  question, 
ver.  47,  with  the  exception  of  one  word,  is  verbatim  the  same  as 
Ixxix.  5.  The  wrath  to  which  quousgue  refers,  makes  itself  to 
be  felt,  as  the  intensifying  {vid.  xiii.  2)  n'^:h  implies,  in  the 
intensity  and  duration  of  everlasting  wrath.  *l^n  is  this  tem- 
poral life  which  glides  past  secretly  and  unnoticed  (xvii.  14)  ; 
and  ■'^^j'l^T  is  not  equivalent  to  ''37t'J  (instead  of  which  by  way 
of  emphasis  only  ''J^<  ''JnaT  can  be  said),  but  l^n^'ip  ''^N*  stands 
for  ""^N  1?n"np — according  to  the  sense  equivalent  to  ""^N  •'7.0~"'Pj 
xxxix.  5,  cf.  6.  The  conjecture  of  Houbigant  and  modern 
expositors,  ''J'"iN*  "ibT  (cf.  ver,  51),  is  not  needed,  since  the  inverted 
position  of  the  words  is  just  the  same  as  in  xxxix.  5.  In  ver. 
486  it  is  not  pointed  N1^  n^-^y,  "wherefore  (Job  x.  2,  xiii.  14) 
hast  Thou  in  vain  (cxxvii.  1)  created?"  (Hengstenbcrg),  but 
Nlty""!^-?!;^  on  account  of  or  for  what  a  nothing  (XVi:'""!?^  belong- 
ing together  as  adjective  and  substantive,  as  in  xxx.  10,  Job 
xxvi.  14)  hast  Thou  created  all  the  children  of  men  ?  (De  Wette, 
riupfeld,  and  Hitzlg.)  bv^  of  the  ground  of  a  matter  and 
direct  motive,  which  is  better  suited  to  the  question  in  ver.  49 
than  the  other  way  of  taking  it :  the  life  of  all  men  passes  on 
into  death  and  Hades;  why  then  might  not  God,  within  this 
brief  space  of  time,  this  handbreadth,  manifest  Himself  to  His 
creatures  as  the  merciful  and  kind,  and  not  as  the  always  angry 
God?  The  music  strikes  in  here,  and  how  can  it  do  so  other- 
wise than  in  elegiac  mesto?  If  God's  justice  tarries  and  fails 
in  this  present  world,  then  the  Old  Testament  faith  becomes 
sorely  tempted  and  tried,  because  it  is  not  able  to  find  consola- 
tion in  the  life  beyond.     Thus  it  is  with  the  faith  of  the  poet 


rSALM  LXXXIX.  47-52.  45 

in  tlie  present  juncture  of  affairs,  the  outward  appearance  of 
which  is  in  such  perplexing  contradiction  to  the  lovini^-kindnesa 
sworn  to  David  and  also  hitherto  vouchsafed.  Cl^n  has  not 
the  sense  in  this  passage  of  promises  of  favour,  as  in  2  Chron. 
vi.  42,  but  proofs  of  favour ;  D'':l"X^n  glances  back  at  the  long 
period  of  the  reigns  of  David  and  of  Solomon.*  The  Asaph 
Psalm  Ixxvii.  and  the  Tephilla  Isa.  ch.  Ixiii.  contain  similar 
complaints,  just  as  in  connection  with  ver.  51a  one  is  reminded 
of  the  Asaph  Psalm  Ixxix.  2,  10,  and  in  connection  with  ver. 
52  of  Ixxix.  12.  Tiie  phrase  ip''na  Nb'J  is  used  in  other  instances 
of  loving  nurture.  Num.  xi.  12,  Isa.  xl.  11.  In  this  passage  it 
must  have  a  sense  akin  to  I'^.^y  nEnri.  It  is  impossible  on 
syntactic  grounds  to  regard  C^sy  DU"!"?zi  as  still  dependent  upon 
nsin  (Ewald)  or,  as  Hupfeld  is  fond  of  calling  it,  as  a  "refe- 
rential" genitive.  Can  it  be  that  the  b^  is  perhaps  a  mutilation 
of  ns?3,  after  Ezek.  xxxvi.  15,  as  Bottcher  suggests?  We  do 
not  need  this  conjecture.  For  (1)  to  carry  any  one  in  one's 
bosom,  if  he  is  an  enemy,  may  signify :  to  be  obliged  to  cherish 
him  with  the  vexation  proceeding  from  him  (Jer.  xv.  15), 
without  being  able  to  get  rid  of  him ,-  (2)  there  is  no  doubt 
that  Q''3"i  can,  after  the  manner  of  numerals,  be  placed  before 
the  substantive  to  which  it  belongs,  xxxii.  10,  Prov.  xxxi.  29, 
1  Chron.  xxviii.  5,  Neh.  ix.  28 ;  cf.  the  other  position,  e.g.,  in 
Jer.  xvi.  16;  (3)  consequently  W'l^V  C'^T^^  may  signify  the 
"  totality  of  many  peoples"  just  as  well  as  D^3"i  D'i3  P3  in  Ezek. 
xxxi.  6.  The  poet  complains  as  a  member  of  the  nation,  as  a 
citizen  of  the  empire,  that  he  is  obliged  to  foster  many  nations 
in  his  bosom,  inasmuch  as  the  land  of  Israel  was  overwhelmed 
by  the  Egyptians  and  their  allies,  the  Libyans,  Troglodytes, 
and  Ethiopians.  The  i?^'?^  which  follows  in  ver.  52  cannot  now 
be  referred  back  over  ver.  516  to  nsin  (^qnd  calumnid),  and  yet 
the  relative  sense,  not  the  confirmatory  (because,  qnoniam),  is 
at  issue.  We  therefore  refer  it  to  U"OV,  and  take  T'^li';'  as  an 
apposition,  as  in  cxxxix.  20  :  who  reproach  Thee,  (as)  Thine 


*  The  Pusek  between  D'<iU'S"in  and  ^jns  is  not  designed  merely  to 
remove  the  limited  predicate  from  the  LorJ,  who  is  indeed  the  First  and 
the  Last,  but  also  to  secure  its  pronunciation  to  the  guttural  Alciih,  which 
might  be  easily  passed  over  after  Mem;  cf.  Gen.  i.  :.'7,  xxi.  17,  xxx.  20, 
xlii.  21,  and  frenuently. 


46  PSALM  LXXXIX.  53. 

enemies,  Jalive,  who  reproach  the  footsteps  (ninipy  as  in  Ixxvii. 
20  with  Dag.  dirvnens,  which  gives  it  an  emotional  turn)  of 
Thine  anointed,  i.e.  they  follow  him  everywhere,  wheresoever 
he  may  go,  and  whatsoever  he  may  do.  With  these  significant 
words,  ^n^v'o  rii3|l)V,  the  Third  Book  of  the  Psalms  dies  away. 
Ver.  53.     The  closing  doxology  of  the  Third  Book. 


FOURTH  BOOK  OF   THE   PSALTE?.. 
Ps.  XC.-CVI. 

PSALM     X  C. 

TAKING  REFUGE  IN  THE  LOVING-KINDNESS  OF  THE  ETERNAL 
ONE  UNDER  THE  WRATHFUL  JUDGMENT  OF  DEATH. 

1  O  LORD,  Thou  hast  been  a  place  of  refuge  for  us  in  all 

generations ! 

2  Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth, 

And  Thou  gavest  birth  to  the  eartli  and  the  world, 
And  from  seon  to  aeon  Thou  art  God ! 

3  Thou  turnest  mortal  man  to  dust, 

And  sayest :  Return,  ye  children  of  men. 

4  For  a  thousand  years  in  Thine  eyes 
Are  as  yesterday  when  it  passeth, 
And  a  watch  in  the  niiiht. 


5  Thou  carriest  them  away  as  with  a  flood,  they  become  a  sleep, 
In  the  morning  they  are  as  grass  springing  up  again. 

6  In  the  morning  it  flourisheth  and  springeth  up  again, 
In  the  evening  it  is  cut  down  and  it  drieth  up. 

7  For  we  are  consumed  by  Thine  anger, 

And  by  Thy  fierce  anger  are  we  scared  away. 

8  Thou  hast  set  our  iniquities  before  Thee, 

Our  most  secret  matter  in  the  light  of  Thy  countenance. 

9  For  all  our  dr^  s  are  passed  away  in  Thy  wrath ; 
We  have  spent  our  years  as  a  whisper. 


48  PSALM  XC. 

10  The  days  of  our  years — their  sum  is  seventy  years, 
And,  if  very  many,  eighty  years  ; 

And  their  pride  is  labour  and  vanity, 
For  it  passed  swiftly  and  we  fled  away. 

11  Who  knoweth  the  power  of  Thine  anger 

And  the  fear  of  Thee  according  to  Thy  wrath  ? 

12  Teach  us  rightly  to  number  our  days, 
That  we  may  gain  a  wise  heart ! 

13  Turn,  Jahve — how  long?  ! — 

And  have  compassion  upon  Thy  servants. 

14  Satisfy  us  at  morning-dawn  with  Thy  mercy, 
Then  will  we  joy  and  rejoice  all  our  days. 

Ms  Make  us  glad  according  to  the  days  in  whicli  Thou  hast 
humbled  us, 
The  years  wherein  we  have  seen  evil. 

16  Let  Thy  work  appear  unto  Thy  servants, 
And  Thy  glory  upon  their  children. 

17  And  let  the  graciousness  of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon  us, 
And  the  work  of  our  hands  do  Thou  establish  upon  us. 
Yea,  the  work  of  our  hands  establish  Thou  it ! 

The  Fourth  Book  of  the  Psalms,  corresponding  to  the  "IDD 
"imD3  of  the  Pentateuch,  begins  with  a  Prayer  of  Moses  the  man 
of  Godj  which  comes  out  of  the  midst  of  the  dying  off  of  the 
older  generation  during  the  march  through  the  wilderness. 
To  the  name,  which  could  not  be  allowed  to  remain  so  bald, 
because  next  to  Abraham  he  is  the  greatest  man  known  to  the 
Old  Testament  history  of  redemption,  is  added  the  title  of 
honour  t^"''"?''^.'^  ^"''5  (as  in  Deut.  xxxiii.  1,  Josh.  xiv.  6),  an 
ancient  name  of  the  prophets  which  expresses  the  close  rela- 
tionship of  fellowship  with  God,  just  as  "  servant  of  Jahve" 
expresses  the  relationship  of  service,  in  accordance  with  the 
special  office  and  in  relation  to  the  history  of  redemption,  into 
wliich  Jahve  has  taken  the  man  and  into  which  he  himself  has 
entered.  There  is  scarcely  any  written  memorial  of  antiquity 
which  so  brilliantly  justifies  the  testimony  of  tradition  con- 
cerning its  origin  as  does  this  Psalm,  which  may  have  been 
preserved  in  some  one  or  other  of  the  older  works,  perhaps  the 
''  Book  of  Jashar"  (Josh.  x.  13,  2  Sam.  i.  18),  unlil  the  time 


PSALM  XC.  1-4.  49 

of  the  final  redaction  of  the  Psalter.  Not  alone  with  respect 
to  its  contents,  but  also  with  reference  to  the  form  of  its 
language,  it  is  perfectly  suitable  to  Moses.  Even  Hitzig  can 
bring  nothing  of  importance  against  this  view,  for  the  objec- 
tion that  the  author  in  ver.  1  glances  back  upon  past  genera- 
tions, whilst  Israel  was  only  born  in  the  time  of  Moses,  is 
removed  by  the  consideration  that  the  existence  of  Israel 
reaches  back  into  the  patriarchal  times  ;  and  there  is  as  little 
truth  in  the  assertion  that  the  Piel  l^i'?'^  in  ver.  14  instead  of 
the  Hiphil  brings  the  Psalm  down  into  very  late  times,  as  in 
the  idea  that  the  Hiph.  J^"!???jl'!  in  cxliii.  12  instead  of  the  Piel 
carries  this  Ps.  cxliii.  back  into  very  early  times.  These 
trifling  points  dwindle  down  to  nothing  in  comparison  with 
the  fact  that  Ps.  xc.  bears  within  itself  distinct  traces  of  the 
same  origin  as  the  song  irTSn  (Deut.  ch.  xxxii.),  the  blessing 
of  Moses  (Deut.  ch.  xxxiii.),  the  discourses  in  Deuteronomy, 
and  in  general  the  directly  Mosaic  portions  of  the  Pentateuch. 
The  Book  of  the  Covenant,  together  with  the  Decalogue  (Ex. 
ch.  xix.-xxiv.)  and  Deuteronomy  (with  the  exception  of  its 
supplement),  are  regarded  by  us,  on  very  good  grounds,  as  the 
largest  originally  Mosaic  constituent  parts  of  the  Pentateuch. 
The  Book  of  Deuteronomy  is  ntt'o  nnin  in  a  pre-eminent  sense. 

Vers.  1-4.  The  poet  begins  with  the  confession  that  the 
Joord  has  proved  Himself  to  His  own,  in  all  periods  of  human 
history,  as  that  which  He  was  before  the  world  was  and  will  be 
for  evermore.  God  is  designedly  appealed  to  by  the  name 
''i'^^.')  which  frequently  occurs  in  the  mouth  of  !Moses  in  the 
middle  books  of  the  Pentateuch,  and  also  in  the  Song  at  the 
Sea,  Ex.  XV.  17  and  in  Deut.  iii.  24.  He  is  so  named  here 
as  the  Lord  ruling  over  human  history  with  an  exaltation  ever 
the  same.  Human  history  runs  on  in  "i^l  "iM,  so  that  one  period 
(TrepioSo?)  with  the  men  living  cotemporaneous  with  it  goes 
and  another  comes ;  the  expression  is  Deuteronomic  (Deut. 
xxxii.  7).  Such  a  course  of  generations  lies  behind  the  poet  ; 
and  in  them  all  the  Lord  has  been  jiVO  to  His  church,  out  of 
the  heart  of  which  the  poet  discourses.  This  expression  too  is 
Deuteronomic  (Deut.  xxxiii.  27).  )1J?D  signifies  a  habitation, 
dwelling-place  (yid.  on  xxvi.  8),  more  especially  God's  heavenly 
and  earthly  dwelling-place,  then  the  dwelling-place  which  God 

VOL.  III.  4 


50  PSALM  XC.  1-4. 

Himself  is  to  His  saints,  inasmuch  as  He  takes  up  to  Himself, 
conceals  and  protects,  those  who  flee  to  Him  from  the  wicked 
one  and  from  evil,  and  turn  in  to  Him  (Ixxi.  3,  xci.  9).  In 
order  to  express /m'sii  ri'in  was  indispensable  ;  but  just  as  fuisti 
comes  from  fuo,  ^vco,  n^i^  ("^Jr)  signifies  not  a  closed,  shut  up 
being,  but  a  being  that  discloses  itself,  consequently  it  is  fiiisti 
in  the  sense  of  te  exJiibuisti.  This  historical  self-manifestation 
of  God  is  based  upon  the  fact  that  He  is  ^N*,  i.e.  might  abso- 
lutely, or  the  absolutely  INIighty  One;  and  He  was  this,  as 
ver.  2  says,  even  before  the  beginning  of  the  history  of  the 
present  world,  and  will  be  in  the  distant  ages  of  the  future  as 
of  the  past.  The  foundation  of  this  world's  history  is  the 
creation.  The  combination  73ni  pK  shows  that  this  is  intended 
to  be  taken  as  the  object,  ''^inm  (witjli  Methcg  beside  the  e  of 
the  final  syllable,  which  is  deprived  of  its  accent,  vid.  on  xviii. 
20)  is  the  language  of  address  (Rashi) :  that  which  is  created 
is  in  a  certain  sense  born  from  God  i^T),  and  He  brings  it 
forth  out  of  Himself ;  and  this  is  here  expressed  by  Wn  (as  in 
Deut.  xxxii.  18,  cf.  Isa.  li.  2),  creation  being  compared  to 
travail  which  takes  place  amidst  pains  {Psychology,  S.  114;  tr. 
p.  137).  If,  after  the  example  of  the  LXX.  and  Targum,  one 
reads  as  passive  ^^inn;;  (Bottcher,  Olsliausen,  Hitzig)  from  the 
Pulal  ^c'in,  Prov.  viii.  24, — and  this  commends  itself,  since  the 
pre-existence  of  God  can  be  better  dated  back  beyond  facts 
than  beyond  the  acts  of  God  Himself, — then  the  conception 
remains  essentially  the  same,  since  the  Eternal  and  Absolute 
One  is  still  to  be  thought  of  as  ^5?^no.  The  fact  that  the 
mountains  are  mentioned  first  of  all,  harmonizes  with  Deut. 
xxxiii.  15.  The  modus  consecutivxis  is  intended  to  say  :  before 
the  mountains  were  brought  forth  and  Thou  wast  in  labour 
therewith  .  .  .  The  forming  of  the  mountains  consequently 
coincides  with  the  ci^ution  of  the  earth,  which  is  here  as  a  bcKly 
or  mass  called  i*?.'^.  and  as  a  continent  with  the  relief  of  moun- 
tains and  lowlands  is  called  ??"  (cf.  px  b^ri,  Prov.  viii.  31, 
Job  xxxvii.  12).  To  the  double  clause  with  D"^p  &eq.  prcet.  (cf. 
on  the  other  hand  seq.  fut.  Deut.  xxxi.  21)  is  appended  a>\V'g^ 
as  a  second  definition  of  time  :  before  the  creation  of  the  world, 
and  from  eternity  to  eternity.  The  Lord  was  God  before  the 
world  was — that  is  the  first  assertion  of  ver.  2  ;  His  divine 
existence  reaches  out  of  the  unlimited  past  into  the  unlimited 


rSALJI  XC.  1-4.  51 

future — this  is  the  second.  ?X  is  not  vocative,  which  it  some- 
times, though  rarely,  is  in  the  Psalms  ;  it  is  a  predicate,  as  e.g. 
in  Deut.  iii,  24. 

This  is  also  to  be  seen  from  vers.  3,  4,  when  ver.  3  now 
more  definitely  affirms  the  omnipotence  of  God,  and  ver.  4  the 
supra-temporality  of  God  or  the  omnipresence  of  God  in  time. 

The  LXX.  misses  the  meaning  when  it  brin(i;s  over  ^X  from 

r  . 

ver.  2,  and  reads  3"if'ri"7N*.     Tlie  shorter  future  form  Si^'n  for 

3''C'ri  stands  poetically  instead  of  the  longer,  as  e.g.  in  xi.  (3, 
XXV.  9;  cf.  the  same  thing  in  the  inf.  constr.  in  Deut.  xxvi.  12, 
and  both  instances  together  in  Deut.  xxxii.  8.  The  poet 
intentionally  calls  the  generation  that  is  dying  away  ti'ijx, 
which  denotes  man  from  the  side  of  his  frailty  or  perishable- 
ness;  and  the  new  generation  D'iS"'':2j  with  which  is  combined 
the  idea  of  entrance  upon  life.  It  is  clear  that  ^^^"^""'J'  ^''C'n  is 
intended  to  be  understood  according  to  Gen.  iii.  19 ;  but  it  is 
a  question  whether  N3T  is  conceived  of  as  an  adjective  (with 
mutable  d),  as  in  xxxiv.  19,  Isa.  Ivii.  15 :  Thou  puttest  men 
back  into  the  condition  of  crushed  ones  (cf.  on  the  construc- 
tion Num.  xxiv.  24),  or  whether  as  a  neutral  feminine  from 
T]T  (=  n3"n) :  Thou  changest  them  into  that  which  is  crushed 
=  dust,  or  whether  as  an  abstract  substantive  like  n^n^  or 
according  to  another  reading  (cf.  cxxvii.  2)  ^3^^  in  Deut.  xxiii. 
2  :  to  crushing.  This  last  is  the  simplest  way  of  taking  it,  but 
it  comes  to  one  and  the  same  thing  with  the  second,  since  X3"n 
signifies  crushing  in  the  neuter  sense.  A  fut.  consec.  follows. 
The  fact  that  God  causes  one  generation  to  die  off  has  as  its 
consequence  tliat  He  calls  another  into  being  (cf.  the  Arabic 
epithet  of  God  el-7nuid=2''[^b2n,  the  Eesuscitator).  Ilofniann 
and  Hitzig  take  3"J'n  as  imperfect  on  account  of  the  following 
"lONDI  :  Thou  didst  decree  mortality  for  men  ;  but  the  fut. 
consec.  frequently  only  expresses  the  sequence  of  the  thoughts 
or  the  connection  of  the  matter,  e.g.  after  a  future  that  refers 
to  that  which  is  constantly  taking  place.  Job  xiv.  10.  God 
causes  men  to  die  without  letting  them  die  out;  for — so  it 
continues  in  ver.  4 — a  thousand  years  is  to  Him  a  very  short 
period,  not  to  be  at  all  taken  into  account.  What  now  is  the 
connection  between  that  which  confirms  and  that  which  is  con- 
firmed here?  It  is  not  so  much  ver.  3  that  is  confirmed  aa 
ver.  2,  to  which  the  former  serves  for  cxplanution,  viz.  tins, 


52  PSALJI  XC.  5-8. 

that  God  as  the  Almighty  (:>^),  in  the  midst  of  this  change  of 
generations,  which  is  His  woi'k,  remains  Himself  eternally  the 
same.  This  ever  the  same,  absolute  existence  has  its  ground 
herein,  that  time,  although  God  fills  it  up  with  His  working, 
is  no  limitation  to  Him.  A  thousand  years,  which  would  make 
any  man  who  might  live  through  them  weary  of  life,  are  to 
Him  like  a  vanishing  point.  The  proposition,  as  2  Pet.  iii.  8 
shows,  is  also  true  when  reversed :  "  One  day  is  with  the  Lord 
as  a  thousand  years."  He  is  however  exalted  above  all  time, 
inasmuch  as  the  longest  period  appears  to  Him  very  short,  and 
in  the  shortest  period  the  greatest  work  can  be  executed  by 
Him.  The  standpoint  of  the  first  comparison,  "  as  yesterday," 
is  taken  towards  the  end  of  the  thousand  of  years.  A  whole 
millennium  appears  to  God,  when  He  glances  over  it,  just  as 
the  yesterday  does  to  us  when  C^)  it  is  passing  by  O'^V^.),  and 
we,  standing  on  the  border  of  the  opening  day,  look  back  upon 
the  day  that  is  gone.  The  second  comparison  is  an  advance 
upon  the  first,  and  an  advance  also  in  form,  from  the  fact  that 
the  Caph  similitudinis  is  wanting :  a  thousand  years  are  to  God 
a  watch  in  the  night.  •Tj^DC'X  is  a  night-watch,  of  which  the 
Israelites  reckoned  three,  viz.  the  first,  the  middle,  and  the 
morning  watch  (vid.  Winer's  Kealioorterhuch  s.  v.  Nacldioaclie). 
It  is  certainly  not  without  design  that  the  poet  says  n^^??  n"ii»:;'N 
instead  of  'ip^pri  nibii'N.  The  night-time  is  the  time  for  sleep ; 
a  watch  in  the  night  is  one  that  is  slept  away,  or  at  any  rate 
passed  in  a  sort  of  half-sleep.  A  day  that  is  past,  as  we  stand 
on  the  end  of  it,  still  produces  upon  us  the  impression  of  a 
course  of  time  by  reason  of  the  events  which  we  can  recall ; 
but  a  night  passed  in  sleep,  and  now  even  a  fragment  of  the 
night,  is  devoid  of  all  trace  to  us,  and  is  therefore  as  it  were 
timeless.  Thus  is  it  to  God  with  a  thousand  years :  they  do 
not  last  long  to  Him ;  they  do  not  affect  Him  ;  at  the  close  of 
them,  as  at  the  beginning,  He  is  the  Absolute  One  ('?^).  Time 
is  as  nothing  to  Him,  the  Eternal  One.  The  changes  of  time 
are  to  Him  no  barrier  restraining  the  realization  of  His  counsel 
— a  truth  which  has  a  terrible  and  a  consolatory  side.  The 
poet  dwells  upon  the  fear  which  it  produces. 

Vers.  5-8.  Vers.  5,  6  tell  us  how  great  is  the  distance 
between  men  and  this  eternal  selfsameness  of  God.  The 
suffix  of  C)ripnT,   referred   to  the   thousand  years,  produces  a 


PSALM  XC.  5-8.  53 

synallage  (since  T\2\y  is  feminine),  which  is  to  be  avoided  when- 
ever it  is  possible  to  do  so ;  the  reference  to  mx"''32,  as  being 
the  principal  object  pointed  to  in  what  has  gone  before,  is  the 
more  natural,  to  say  the  very  least.  In  coimection  with  both 
ways  of  applying  it,  D^iJ  does  not  signify :  to  cause  to  rattle 
down  like  sudden  heavy  showers  of  rain  ;  for  the  figure  that 
God  makes  years,  or  that  He  makes  men  (Hitzig  :  the  germs 
of  their  coming  into  being),  to  rain  down  from  above,  is  fanci- 
ful and  strange.  D"!T  may  also  mean  to  sweep  or  wash  away 
as  with  heavy  rains,  ahripere  instar  nimbi,  as  the  old  expositors 
take  it.  So  too  Luther  at  one  time  :  Du  reyssest  sie  dalujn 
(Thou  earnest  them  away),  for  which  he  substituted  later : 
Da  lessest  sie  dahin  faven  wie  einen  Strom  (Thou  causest  them 
to  pass  away  as  a  river) ;  but  Q^I  always  signifies  rain  pouring 
down  from  above.  As  a  sudden  and  heavy  shower  of  rain, 
becoming  a  flood,  washes  ev^erything  away,  so  God's  omnipo- 
tence sweeps  men  away.  Tliere  is  now  no  transition  to  another 
alien  figure  when  the  poet  continues:  vn"*  ^3t^'.  What  is  meant 
is  the  sleep  of  death,  Ixxvi.  6,  D^ii/  nj^,'  jjr.  li.  39,  57,  cf.  ]^\ 
xiii.  4.  He  whom  a  flood  carries  away  is  actually  brought 
into  a  state  of  unconsciousness,  he  goes  entirely  to  sleep,  i.e. 
hejdies. 

From  this  point  the  poet  certainly  does  pass  on  to  another 
figure.  The  one  generation  is  carried  away  as  by  a  flood  in 
the  night  season,  and  in  the  morning  another  grows  up.  Men 
are  the  subject  of  ^D,.,  as  of  ViT.  The  collective  singular 
alternates  with  the  plural,  just  as  in  ver.  3  the  collective  *J'i:s 
alternates  with  ms-''J3.  The  two  members  of  ver.  5  stand  in 
contrast.  The  poet  describes  the  succession  of  the  genera- 
tions. One  generation  perishes  as  it  were  in  a  flood,  and 
another  grows  up,  and  this  also  passes  on  to  the  same  fate. 
The  meaning  in  both  verses  of  the  fj^n,  which  has  been  for  the 
most  part,  after  the  LXX.,  Vulgate,  and  Luther,  erroneously 
taken  to  be  pvceterire  =  interire,  is  determined  in  accordance 
wiih  this  idea.     The  general  signification  of  this  verb,  which 

corresponds  to  the  Arabic  i__iL>-,  is  "  to  follow  or  move  after, 

to  go  into  the  place  of  another,  and  in  general,  of  passing 
over  from  one  place  or  state  into  another."  Accordingly  the 
Ilipldl  signifies  to  put  into  a  new  condition,  cii.  27,  to  set  a 


A.vfei'' 


54  PSALM  XC.  5-8. 

new  thing  on  the  place  of  an  old  one,  Isa.  ix.  9  [10],  to  gain 
new  strength,  to  take  fresh  courage,  Isa.  xl.  31,  xli.  1 ;  and  of 
plants  :  to  send  forth  new  shoots.  Job  xiv.  7  ;  consequently  the 
Ka I,  which  frequently  furnishes  the  perfect  for  the  future 
Hiphil  (Ew.  §  127,  6,  and  Hitzig  on  this  passage),  of  plants 
signifies :  to  gain  new  shoots,  not :  to  sprout  (Targum,  Syriac), 

but  to  sprout  again  or  afresh,  regerminare ;  cf.  u-ci^?  ai^  after- 
growth, new  wood.  Perishing  humanity  renews  its  youth  in 
ever  new  generations.  Ver.  ^a  again  takes  up  this  thought : 
in  the  morning  it  grows  up  and  shoots  afresh,  viz.  the  grass  to 
which  men  are  likened  (a  figure  appropriated  by  Isa.  ch.  xl.), 
in  the  evening  it  is  cut  down  and  it  dries  up.  Others  trans- 
late hhyo  to  wither  (root  i'n,  properly  to  be  long  and  lax,  to 

allow  to  hang  down  long,  cf.  ^rP^^  ^^.'^  with  J,<^,  to  hope,  i.e. 

to  look  forth  into  the  distance)  ;  but  (1)  this  Pilel  of  b'^'0  or 
Po'el  of  ??0  is  not  favourable  to  this  intransitive  way  of  taking 
it ;  (2)  the  reflexive  in  Iviii.  8  proves  that  t^)"!^  signifies  to  cut 
off  in  the  front  or  above,  after  which  perhaps  even  xxxvii.  2, 
Job  xiv.  2,  xviii.  16,  by  comparison  with  Job  xxiv.  24,  are  to 
l)e  explained.  In  the  last  passage  it  runs :  as  the  top  of  the  stalk 
they  are  cut  off  (fut.  Niph.  of  ??»).  Such  a  cut  or  plucked 
ear  of  corn  is  called  in  Deut.  xxiii.  26  '"i/?^,  a  Deuteronomic 
hapaxlegomenon  which  favours  our  way  of  taking  the  ^jjiD' 
(with  a  most  general  subject  =  ^i'^'^').  Thus,  too,  ^y'},  is  better 
attached  to  what  precedes:  the  cjit.^rass  becomes  parched  hay. 
Just  such  an  alternation  of  morning  springing  forth  and  evening 
drying  up  is  the  alternation  of  the  generations  of  men. 

Tiie  poet  substantiates  this  in  vers.  7  sq.  from  the  expe- 
rience of  those  amongst  whom  he  comprehended  himself  in  the 
i3/>  of  ver.  1.  Hengstenberg  takes  ver.  7  to  be  a  statement  of 
the  cause  of  the  transitoriness  set  forth  :  its  cause  is  the  wrath 
of  God  ;  but  the  poet  does  not  begin  1D{<3  ''3  but  irb  ^2.  The 
chief  emphasis  therefore  lies  upon  the  perishing,  and  ^3  is  not 
argumentative  but  explicative.  If  the  subject  of  l^^a  were 
men  in  general  (Olshausen),  then  it  would  be  elucidating  idem 
per  idem.  But,  according  to  ver.  1,  those  who  speak  here  are 
those  whose  refuge  the  Eternal  One  is.  The  poet  therefore 
speaks  in  the  name  of  the  church,  and  confirms  the  lot  of  men 


PSALM  XC.  5-8.  5f) 

from  that  which  his  people  have  experienced  even  down  to  the 
present  time.  Israel  is  able  out  of  its  own  experience  to  cor- 
roborate what  all  men  pass  through  ;  it  has  to  pass  through 
the  very  same  experience  as  a  special  decree  of  God's  wrath 
on  account  of  its  sins.  Therefore  in  vers.  7,  8  we  stand  alto- 
gether upon  historical  ground.  The  tesdmony  of  the  inscrip- 
tion is  here  verified  in  the  contents  of  tlie  Psalm.  The  older 
generation  that  came  out  of  Egypt  fell  a  prey  to  the  sentence  of 
punishment,  that  they  should  gradually  die  off  during  the  forty 
years'  journey  through  the  desert;  and  even  Moses  and  Aaron, 
Joshua  and  Caleb  only  excepted,  were  included  in  this  punish- 
ment on  special  grounds,  Num.  xiv.  26  sqq.,  Deut.  i.  34-31>. 
This  it  is  over  which  Moses  here  laments.  God's  wrath  is  here 
called  ^X  and  nnn  ;  just  as  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  (in  dis- 
tinction from  the  other  books  of  the  Pentateuch)  is  fond  of 
combining  these  two  synonyms  (Deut.  ix.  19,  xxix.  22,  27,  cf. 
Gen.  xxvii.  44  sq.).  The  breaking  forth  of  the  infinitely  great 
opposition  of  the  holy  nature  of  God  against  sin  has  swept 
away  the  church  in  the  person  of  its  members,  even  down  to 
the  present  moment ;  p^^^  as  in  civ.  29,  cf.  '^^''^3,  Lev.  xxvi. 
16.  It  is  the  consequence  of  their  sins,  flp  signifies  sin  as  the 
perversion  of  the  right  standing  and  conduct ;  DW,  that  which 
is  veiled  in  distinction  from  manifest  sins,  is  the  sum-total  of 
hidden  moral,  and  that  sinful,  conduct.  There  is  no  necessity  to 
regard  ^^^7'J  as  a  defective  plural ;  2"^^!^  signifies  youth  (from 
a  radically  distinct  word,  D^'y)  ;  secret  sins  would  therefore 
be  called  nilDpy  according  to  xix.  13.  God  sets  transgressions 
before  Him  when,  because  the  measure  is  full  and  forgiveness 
is  inadmissible.  He  makes  them  an  object  of  punishment.  3^'^ 
(Keri,  as  in  viii.  7  :  nnc',  cf.  vi.  4  ^^\  Ixxiv.  6  W)  has  the 
accent  upon  the  ultima  before  an  initial  guttural.  The  parallel 
to  "^-^ij?  is  ^':3  li«0^.  lis  is  light,  and  I'^t^O  is  either  a  body  of 
light,  as  the  sun  and  moon,  or,  as  in  this  passage,  the  circle  of 
light  which  the  light  forms.  The  countenance  of  God  ('n  'JS) 
is  God's  nature  in  its  inclination  towards  the  world,  and  ")1XQ 
'n  ^:q  is  the  doxa  of  His  nature  that  is  turned  towards  the 
world,  which  penetrates  everything  that  is  conformed  to  God 
as  a  gracious  light  (Num.  vi.  25),  and  makes  manifest  to  the 
bottom  everything  that  is  opposed  to  God  and  consumes  it  as 
a  wrathful  fire. 


56  PSALM  XC.  9-12. 

Vers.  9-12.  After  the  transltoriness  of  men  has  now  heen 
confirmed  in  vers.  6  sq.  out  of  the  special  experience  of  Israel, 
the  fact  that  this  particular  experience  has  its  ground  in  a 
divine  decree  of  wrath  is  more  definitely  confirmed  from  the 
facts  of  this  experience,  which,  as  vers.  11  sq.  complain,  un- 
fortunately have  done  so  little  to  urge  them  on  to  the  fear  of 
God,  which  is  the  condition  and  the  beginning  of  wisdom. 
In  ver.  9  we  distinctly  hear  the  Israel  of  the  desert  speaking. 
That  was  a  generation  that  fell  a  prey  to  the  wrath  of  God 
(im3^  nn,  Jer.  vii.  29).  nnay  is  wrath  that  passes  over,  breaks 
through  the  bounds  of  subjectivity.  All  their  days  (cf.  ciii. 
15)  are  passed  away  (n^Q,  to  turn  one's  self,  to  turn,  e.g.  Deut. 
i.  24)  in  such  wrath,  i.e.  thoroughly  pervaded  by  it.  They 
have  spent  their  years  like  a  sound  (njnin^)^  which  has  hardly 
gone  forth  before  it  has  passed  away,  leaving  no  trace  behind 
it ;  the  noun'  signifies  a  gentle  dull  sound,  whether  a  murmur 
(Job  xxxvii.  2)  or  a  groan  (Ezek.  ii.  10).  With  Dn3  in  ver.  10 
the  sum  is  stated  :  there  are  comprehended  therein  seventy 
years  ;  they  include,  run  up  to  so  many.  Hitzig  renders  :  the 
days  wherein  (onn)  our  years  consist  are  seventy  years  ;  but 
laTilJCy  side  by  side  with  ''D*  must  be  regarded  as  its  more  minute 
genitival  definition,  and  the  accentuation  cannot  be  objected 
to.  Beside  the  plural  CJ^  the  poetic  plural  T\Sl^  appears 
here,  and  it  also  occurs  in  Deut.  xxxii.  7  (and  nowhere  else  in 
the  Pentateuch).  That  of  which  the  sum  is  to  be  stated  stands 
first  of  all  as  a  casus  ahsol.  Luther's  rendering  :  Siebenzig 
Jar,  icens  hack  kompt  so  sinds  aclitzig  (seventy  years,  or  at  the 
furthest  eighty  years),  as  Symmachus  also  meant  by  his  ev 
irapaSo^o)  (in  Chrysostom),  is  confirmed  by  the  Talmudic  yjn 
nnUJ^,  "  to  attain  to  extreme  old  age"  {B.  Moed  katan  28a), 
and  rightly  approved  of  by  Hitzig  and  Olshausen.  nniD:  sig- 
nifies in  Ixxi.  16  full  strength,  here  full  measure.  Seventy,  or 
at  most  eighty  years,  were  the  average  sum  of  the  extreme 
term  of  life  to  which  the  generation  dying  out  in  the  wilder- 
ness attained.  ^"^^1]  the  LXX.  renders  to  ifKetov  avrcou,  but 
DanT  is  not  equivalent  to  2Ii^.  The  verb  3n"i  signifies  to  behave 
violently,  e.g.  of  importunate  entreaty,  Prov.  vi.  3,  of  insolent 
treatment,  Isa.  iii.  5,  whence  3n"|  (here  3ni),  violence,  impetu- 
osity, and  more  especially  a  boastful  vaunting  appearance  or 
coming  forward,  Job  ix.  13,  Isa.  xxx.  7.     The  poet  means  to 


PSALM  XC.  9-12.  57 

say  that  iverythlng  of  which  our  life  is  proud  (riclics,  outwaril 
appearance,  luxury,  beauty,  etc.),  when  regarded  in  the  ri^ht 
light,  is  after  all  only  ^^V,  inasmuch  as  it  causes  us  trouble 
and  toil,  and  tJ.NI,  because  without  any  true  intrinsic  merit  and 
worth^  To  this  second  predicate  is  appended  the  confirmatory 
clause,  ti'^n  js  injin.  adverb,  from  ti'^in,  &r\^  Deut.  xxxii.  35  : 
speedily,  swiftly  (Symmachus,  the  Quinta,  and  Jerome).  The 
verb  T=ia  signifies  transh'e  in  all  the  Semitic  dialects  ;  and  fol- 
lowing this  signification,  which  is  applied  transitively  in  Num. 
xi.  31,  the  Jewish  expositors  and  Schultens  correctly  render : 
nam  transit  velocissvne.  Following  upon  the  perfect  T3,  the 
modus  consecutivus  -^pvai  maintains  its  retrospective  significa- 
tion. The  strengthening  of  this  mood  by  means  of  the  inten- 
tional ah  is  more  usual  with  the  1st  pers.  sing.,  e.g.  Gen.  xxxii. 
6,  than  with  the  1st  pers.  plu7\,  as  here  and  in  Gen.  xli.  11 ; 
Ew.  §  232,  g.  The  poet  glances  back  from  the  end  of  life  to 
the  course  of  life.  And  life,  with  all  of  which  it  had  been 
proud,  appears  as  an  empty  burden  ;  for  it  passed  swiftly  by 
and  we  fled  away,  we  were  borne  away  with  rapid  fliglit  upon 
the  wings  of  the  past. 

Such  experience  as  this  ought  to  urge  one  on  to  the  fear  of 
God  ;  but  how  rarely  does  this  happen  !  and  yet  the  fear  of 
God  is  the  condition  (stipulation)  and  the  beginning  of  wisdom. 
The  verb  VT^  in  ver.  11a,  just  as  it  in  general  denotes  not 
merely  notional  but  practically  living  and  efficient  knowledge, 
is  here  used  of  a  knowledge  which  makes  that  which  is  known 
conduce  to  salvation.  The  meaning  of  ^^NTdi  is  determined 
in  accordance  with  this.  The  suffix  is  here  either  gen.  suhj.  : 
according  to  Thy  fearfulness  ("^^T  as  in  Ezek.  i.  18),  or  gen. 
ohj. :  according  to  the  fear  tliat  is  due  to  Thee,  which  in  itself 
is  at  once  (cf.  v.  8,  Ex.  xx.  20,  Deut.  ii.  25)  more  natural,  and 
here  designates  the  knowledge  which  is  so  rarely  found,  as 
that  which  is  determined  by  the  fear  of  God,  as  a  truly  reli- 
gious knowledge.  Such  knowledge  Moses  supplicates  for  him- 
self and  for  Israel:  to  number  our  days  teach  us  rightly  to 
understand.  1  Sam.  xxiii.  17,  where  i?  V'V  signifies  "  he  does 
not  know  it  to  be  otherwise,  he  is  well  aware  of  it,"  shows  how 
I?  is  meant.  Hitzig,  contrary  to  the  accentuation,  draws  it  to 
im''  nUD^;  but  "  to  number  our  days"  is  in  itself  equivalent 
to  "  hourly  to  contemplate  tlie  fleeting  character  and  brevity 


53  PSALM  XC.  13-17. 

of  our  lifetime  ;"  and  J^liH  jzi  prays  for  a  true  qualification  for 
this,  and  one  that  accords  with  experience.  The  future  that 
follows  is  well  adapted  to  the  call,  as  frequently  aim  and  result. 
But  N''3n  is  not  to  be  taken,  with  Ewald  and  Hitzig,  in  the 
signification  of  bringing  as  an  offering,  a  meaning  this  verb 
cannot  have  of  itself  alone  (why  should  it  not  have  been 
2"'"]ip3^?).  Bottcher  also  erroneously  renders  it  after  the  analogy 
of  Prov.  ii.  10  :  "  that  we  mav  bring  wisdom  into  the  heart," 
which  ought  to  be  272.  N'»3ri,  deriving  its  meaning  from  agri- 
culture, signifies  "to  carry  off,  obtain,  gain,  prop,  to  bring  in," 
viz.  into  the  barn,  2  Sam.  ix.  10,  Hagg.  i.  6  ;  the  produce  of 
the  field,  and  in  a  general  way  gain  or  profit,  is  hence  called 
ns^an.  A  wise  heart  is  the  fruit  which  one  reaps  or  garners  in 
from  such  numbering  of  the  days,  the  gain  which  one  carries 
off  from  so  constantly  reminding  one's  self  of  the  end.  22? 
npDn  is  a  poetically  intensified  expression  for  D^n  37^  just  as 
ND'iD  2?  in  Prov.  xiv.  30  signifies  a  calm  easy  heart. 

Vers.  13-17.  The  prayer  for  a  salutary  knowledge,  or  dis- 
cernment, of  the  appointment  of  divine  wrath  is  now  followed 
by  the  prayer  for  the  return  of  favour,  and  the  wish  that  God 
would  carry  out  His  work  of  salvation  and  bless  Israel's  under- 
takings to  that  end.  We  here  recognise  the  well-known 
language  of  prayer  of  Moses  in  Ex.  xxxii.  12,  according  to 
which  nniti'  is  not  intended  as  a  prayer  for  God's  return  to 
Israel,  but  for  the  turning  away  of  His  anger;  and  the  sjgh 
"•nn-iy  that  is  blended  with  it  asks  how  long  this  being  angary, 
which  threatens  to  blot  Israel  out,  is  still  to  last,  cn^ni  is 
explained  according  to  this  same  parallel  passage:  May  God 
feel  remorse  or  sorrow  (which  in  this  case  coincide)  concerning 
His  servants,  i.e.  concerning  the  affliction  appointed  to  them. 
The  naming  of  the  church  by  T'laj?  (as  in  Dent.  ix.  27,  cf.  Ex. 
xxxii.  13  of  the  patriarchs)  reminds  one  of  Deut.  xxxii.  36 : 
concerning  His  servants  He  shall  feel  compassion  (HitJipa. 
instead  of  the  Niplial).  The  prayer  for  the  turning  of  wrath 
is  followed  in  ver.  14  by  the  prayer  for  the  turning  towards 
them  of  favour.  In  li^'33  there  lies  the  thought  that  it  has 
been  night  hitherto  in  Israel.  "  Morning "  is  therefore  the 
beginning  of  a  new  season  of  favour.  In  l3J??i?>  (to  which 
T^DH  is  a  second  accusative  of  the  object)  is  implied  the  thought 
that  Israel  whilst  under  wrath  has  been  hunn;erin<i  after  favour; 


PSALM  XC.  13-17.  59 

rf.  tlie  afljective  V?'^  in  tlie  same  tropical  signification  in  Dcut. 
x.xxiii.  23.  The  supplicatory  imperatives  are  followed  by  two 
moods  expressive  of  intention:  then  will  we,  or:  in  order  that 
we  may  rejoice  and  be  glad ;  for  futures  like  these  set  forth  the 
intention  of  attaining  something  as  a  result  or  aim  of  what  has 
been  expressed  just  before :  Ew.  §  325,  a.  WO^'^^B  is  not 
governed  by  the  verbs  of  rejoicing  (cxviii.  24),  in  wiiich  case 
it  would  have  been  ^^\'n3,  but  is  an  adverbial  definition  of  time 
(cxlv.  2,  Jer.  xxxv.  8) :  vvithin  the  term  of  life  allotted  to  us. 
We  see  from  ver.  15  that  the  season  of  aflSiction  has  already 
lasted  for  a  long  time.  The  duration  of  the  forty  years  of 
wrath,  which  in  the  midst  of  their  course  seemed  to  them  as  an 
eternity,  is  made  the  measure  of  the  reviving  again  that  is 
earnestly  souglit.  The  plural  nio^  instead  of  ""O^.  is  common  only 
to  our  Psalm  and  Deut.  xxxii.  7  ;  it  is  not  known  elsewhere  to 
Biblical  Hebrew.  And  the  poetical  nijp'  instead  of  ^V',  which 
also  occurs  elsewhere,  appears  for  the  first  time  in  Deut.  xxxii.  7. 
The  meaning  of  ^i^J^'^Vj  in  which  my  is  specialized  after  the 
manner  of  a  genitive,  is  explained  from  Deut.  viii.  2  sqq., 
according  to  which  the  forty  years'  wandering  in  the  wilder- 
ness was  designed  to  humble  (ni3j;)  and  to  prove  Israel  throu<i-h 
suffering.  At  the  close  of  these  forty  years  Israel  stands  on 
the  threshold  of  the  Promised  Land.  To  Israel  all  final  hopes 
were  closely  united  with  the  taking  possession  of  this  land. 
We  learn  from  Gen.  ch.  xlix.  that  it  is  the  horizon  of  Jacob's 
prophetic  benediction.  This  Psalm  too,  in  vers.  IG,  17,  termi- 
nates in  the  prayer  for  the  attainment  of  this  goal.  The 
psalmist  has  begun  in  ver.  1  his  adoration  with  the  majestic 
divine  name  "'^^J^ ;  in  ver.  13  he  began  his  prayer  with  the 
gracious  divine  name  nin^ ;  and  now,  where  he  mentions  God 
for  the  third  time,  he  gives  to  Him  the  twofold  name,  so  full  of 
faith,  13'n^i<  "iix.  h^  used  once  alternates  with  the  thrice 
repeated  bv :  salvation  is  not  Israel's  own  work,  but  the  work 
of  Jahve ;  it  therefore  comes  from  above,  it  comes  and  meets 
Israel.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  noun  i'i'b  occurs  only 
in  Deuteronomy  in  the  whole  Tora,  and  that  here  also  of  the 
gracious  rule  of  Jahve,  ch.  xxxii.  4,  cf.  xxxiii.  11.  The  church 
calls  the  work  of  the  Lord  WT  '"ib^D  in  so  far  as  He  executes 
it  through  them.  This  expression  D'T  nbj;D  as  a  designation 
of  human  undertakings  runs  throudi  the  wliole  of  the  IJook  of 


GO  PSALM  XCI. 

Deuteronomy :  cli.  ii.  7,  iv.  28,  xi.  7,  xiv.  29,  xvi.  15,  xxlv.  19, 
xxvii.  15,  xxviii.  12,  xxx.  9.  In  the  work  of  the  Lord  the 
bright  side  of  His  glory  unveils  itself,  hence  it  is  called  "i*in ; 
this  too  is  a  word  not  alien  at  least  to  the  language  of  Deute- 
ronomy, ch.  xxxiii.  17.  Therein  is  made  manifest  'n  Dyi,  His 
graciousness  and  condescension — an  expression  which  David 
has  borrowed  from  !Moses  in  Ps.  xxvii.  4.  nsT  and  ''H^  are 
optatives.  n:3i3  is  an  urgent  request,  imperat.  ohsecvantis  as 
the  old  expositors  say.  With  Waw  the  same  thought  is  ex- 
pressed over  again  (cf.  Isa.  Iv.  1,  13^^,  yea  come) — a  simple, 
childlike  anadiplosis  which  vividly  reminds  us  of  the  Book  of 
Deuteronomy,  which  revolves  in  thoughts  that  are  ever  the  same, 
and  by  that  very  means  speaks  deeply  to  the  heart.  Thus  the 
Deuteronomic  impression  of  this  Psalm  accompanies  us  from 
beginning  to  end,  from  pyo  to  DHJ  '"'^i?'?.  Nor  will  it  now  be 
merely  accidental  that  the  fondness  for  comparisons,  which  is 
a  peculiarity  of  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  (ch.  i.  31,  44,  viii. 
5,  xxviii.  21),  49,  cf.  xxviii.  13,  44,  xxix.  17,  18),  is  found  again 
in  this  Psalm. 

PSALM    XCL 

TALISMANIC  SONG  IN  TIME  OF  WAE  AND  PESTILENCE. 

First  Voice: 

1  HE  who  sitteth  in  the  protection  of  the  Most  High, 
Who  abideth  in  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty — 

Second  Voice: 

2  I  say  to  Jahve :  My  refuge  and  my  fortress, 
]\Iy  God  in  whom  I  trust. 

Fi7'st  Voice: 

3  For  PIe   shall  deliver  thee  from  the  snare  of  the  fcwiorj 

from  the  destroying  pestilence. 

4  With  His  feathers  shall  He  defend  thee, 
And  under  His  wings  art  thou  hidden ; 
A  shield  and  buckler  is  His  truth. 

5  Thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  for  any  nightly  terror. 
For  the  arrow  that  flieth  by  day, 


PSAUI  XCI.  61 

6  For  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  the  darkness, 
For  the  sickness  that  wasteth  at  noon-day. 

7  A  thousand  may  fall  at  thy  side  and  teu  thousand  at  tl:y 

right  hand, 
It  shall  not  come  nigh  thee — 

8  Nay,  with  thine  own  eyes  shalt  thou  look  on 
And  see  the  recompense  of  the  wicked. 

Second  Voice: 

9  For  Thou,  O  Jahve,  art  my  refuge ! 

First  Voice : 

The  Most  High  hast  thou  made  thy  habitation. 

10  The  range  of  misfortune  toucheth  thee  not, 
And  the  plague  doth  not  come  nigh  thy  tent. 

11  For  His  angels  hath  He  given  charge  over  thee, 
To  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways. 

12  On  their  hands  shall  they  bear  thee  up. 

That  thou  dost  not  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone. 

13  Over  lions  and  adders  shalt  thou  walk. 

Thou  shalt  trample  lions  and  dragons  under  thy  feet. 

Third  (divine')  Voice: 

14  For  he  loveth  Me,  therefore  will  I  deliver  him, 

I  will  set  him  on  high,  for  he  knoweth  My  Name. 

15  If  he  shall  call  upon  ^Me,  I  will  answer  him, 
I  will  be  with  him  in  trouble ; 

I  will  rescue  him  and  bring  him  to  honour. 

16  With  length  of  life  will  I  satisfy  him. 

And  cause  him  to  delight  himself  in  My  salvation. 

The  primeval  song  is  followed  by  an  anonymous  song 
(Inscribed  by  the  LXX.  without  any  warrant  tw  Aavih)^  the 
time  of  whose  composition  cannot  be  determined  ;  and  it  is 
only  placed  in  this  order  because  the  last  verse  accords  with 
the  last  verse  but  one  of  Ps.  xc.  There  the  revelation  of 
Jahve's  work  is  prayed  for,  and  here  Jahve  promises :  /  loill 
(jrant  Mm  to  see  My  salvation;  the  "work  of  Jahve"  is  His 
realized  "  salvation."  The  two  Psalms  also  have  other  points 
of  contact,  e.g.  in  the  PJ-'^  referred  to  God  {yid.  SymhoUi',  p.  60). 


02  PSALM  XCI. 

In  this  Psalm,  the  Invocavit  Psalm  of  the  church,  which 
praises  the  protecting  and  rescuing  grace  which  he  who  believ- 
ingly  takes  refuge  in  God  experiences  in  all  times  of  danger 
and  distress,*  the  relation  of  ver.  2  to  ver.  1  meets  us  at  the 
very  beginning  as  a  perplexing  riddle.  If  we  take  ver.  1  as  a 
clause  complete  in  itself,  then  it  is  tautological.  If  we  take  "i*pj^ 
in  vei\  2  as  a  participle  (Jerome,  dicens)  instead  of  ""pX,  ending 
with  Fathach  because  a  construct  form  (cf.  xciv.  9,  cxxxvi.  G), 
then  the  participial  subject  would  have  a  participial  predicate : 
"  He  who  sittt'th  is  saying,"  which  is  inelegant  and  also  impro- 
bable, since  "IJ?N  in  other  instances  is  always  the  1st  pers.  fut. 
If  we  take  "i^i<  as  1st  pers,  fut.  and  ver.  1  as  an  apposition  of  the 
subject  expressed  in  advance :  as  such  an  one  who  sitteth  .  .  , 
I  say,  then  we  stumble  against  \yO^\ ;  this  transition  of  the 
})articiple  to  the  finite  verb,  especially  without  the  copula  (''■??''), 
is  confusing.  If,  however,  we  go  on  and  read  further  into  the 
Psalm,  we  find  that  the  same  difficulty  as  to  the  change  of 
])erson  recurs  several  times  later  on,  just  as  in  the  opening. 
Olshausen,  Hupfeld,  and  Hitzig  get  rid  of  this  difficulty  by  all 
sorts  of  conjectures.  But  a  reason  for  this  abrupt  change  of 
the  person  is  that  dramatic  arrangement  recognised  even  in  the 
Targum,  although  awkwardly  indicated,  which,  however,  was 
first  of  all  clearly  discerned  by  J.  D.  Michaelis  and  Maurer. 
Tliere  are,  to  wit,  two  voices  that  speak  (as  in  Ps.  cxxi.),  and  at 
last  the  voice  of  Jahve  comes  in  as  a  third.  His  closing  utter- 
ance, rich  in  promise,  forms,  perhaps  not  unaccidentally,  a 
seven-line  strophe.  Whether  the  Psalm  came  also  to  be  executed 
in  liturgical  use  thus  with  several  voices,  perhaps  by  three 
choirs,  we  cannot  tell ;  but  the  poet  certainly  laid  it  out  dra- 
matically, as  the  translation  represents  it.  In  spite  of  the  many 
echoes  of  earlier  models,  it  is  one  of  the  freshest  and  most 
beautiful  Psalms,  resembling  the  second  part  of  Isaiah  in  its 
light-winged,  richly  coloured,  and  transparent  diction. 


*  Hcuce  iu  J.  Shahhath  8,  col.  2,  and  Midrash  ShocJur  toh  on  xci.  1  anil 
elsewhere,  it  is  called,  together  with  Ps.  iii.,  (D>J,':d)  py"ii3  Ti^^,  a  song  of 
occurrences,  i.e.  a  protective  (or  talismanic)  song  in  times  of  dangers  that 
may  befall  one,  just  as  Sebald  Ileyden's  Psahn-song,  "  He  who  is  iu  the 
protectiou  of  the  Most  High  and  resigns  liiuiself  to  God,"  is  inscribed 
"  Frcscrvative  against  the  pestilence." 


PSALM  XCI.  1-9.  63 

Vers.  1,  2.  As  the  concealing  One,  God  is  called  ivpy,  tlie 
inaccessibly  high  One  ;  and  as  the  sliadowing  One  ""1"^',  the 
invincibly  almighty  One.  Faith,  however,  calls  Him  by  His 
covenant  name  (^HeiUname)  nVT  and,  with  the  suffix  of  appro- 
j'l'iation,  ^n'T'X  (iny  God).  In  connection  with  vor.  I  we  are 
lemintled  of  the  expressions  of  the  Book  of  Job,  ch.  xxxix.  28, 
concerning  the  eagle's  building  its  nest  in  its  eyrie.  Accord- 
ing to  the  accentuation,  ver.  2a  ought  to  be  rendered  with 
Geier,  "  Dicit :  in  Domino  meo  (or  Domini)  latibulwn,  etc." 
But  the  combination  'n?  ION  is  more  natural,  since  the  lan- 
guage of  address  follows  in  both  halves  of  the  verse. 

Vers.  3-9a.  tJ'^P^,  as  in  Prov.  vi.  5,  Jer.  v.  26,  is  the 
dullest  toned  form  for  ^'ip'l  or  C'pi',  cxxiv.  7.  What  is  meant 
is  death,  or  "he  who  has  the  power  of  death,"  Heb.  ii.  14,  cf. 
2  Tim.  ii.  26.  "  The  snare  of  the  fowler"  is  a  figure  for  the 
peril  of  one's  life,  Eccles.  ix.  12.  In  connection  with  ver.  4  we 
have  to  call  to  mind  Deut.  xxxii.  11 :  God  protects  His  own  as 
an  eagle  with  its  large  strong  wing.  '1"]?^?  is  nom.  un'datis^  a 
pinion,  to  "i^N*,  Isa.  xl.  31 ;  and  the  Hipli.  "^?n,  from  'H?!??  ^^"'th 
the  dative  of  the  object,  like  the  Kal  in  cxl.  8,  signifies  to  afford 
covering,  protection.  The  aira^  Xey.  ^I^i^,  according  to  its 
stem-word,  is  that  which  encompasses  anything  round  about, 
and  here  beside  '"liV,  a  weapon  of  defence  surrounding  the  body 

on  all  sides ;  therefore  not  corresponding  to  the  Syriac  jZ;_»IkjCD, 
a  stronghold  {"^^b^  n"!.5°^),  but  to  (;^^,  a  shield.  The  Targum 
translates  njv  with  i<9'?n,  Ovpeo^,  and  nnnb  with  N^'jy,  whiclr 
points  to  the  round  parma.  WON)  is  the  truth  of  the  divine 
promises.  This  is  an  impregnable  defence  (a)  in  war-times, 
ver.  5,  against  nightly  surprises,  and  in  the  battle  by  day ;  (/>) 
in  times  of  pestilence,  ver.  6,  when  the  destroying  angel,  who 
passes  through  and  destroys  the  people  (Ex.  xi.  4),  can  do  no 
harm  to  him  who  has  taken  refuge  in  God,  either  in  the  mid- 
night or  the  noontide  hours.  The  future  "^"^ni  is  a  more  rhyth- 
mical and,  in  the  signification  to  rage  (as  of  disease)  and  to 
vanish  away,  a  more  usual  form  instead  of  "nh«  The  LXX., 
Aquila,  and  Symmachus  erroneously  associate  the  demon  name 
*IC'  with  ^VC'^.  It  is  a  metaplastic  (as  if  formed  from  ivj)  future 
for  *1C'^',  cf.  Prov.  xxix.  6,  P),  and  Isa.  xlii.  4,  p"*",  frangetnr. 
Ver.  la  a  hypothetical  protasis:  si  cadant ;  the  preterite  would 


64  rSALM  XCI.  D-16. 

signify  ceciderint,  E\v.  §  357,  b.  With  PI  that  which  will 
solely  and  exclusively  take  place  is  introduced.  Burk  correctly 
renders :  niillam  cum  peste  rein  hahehis,  nisi  ut  videas.  Only 
a  spectator  shalt  thou  be,  and  that  with  thine  own  eyes,  being 
thyself  inaccessible  and  left  to  survive,  conscious  that  thou 
thyself  art  a  living  one  in  contrast  with  those  who  are  dying. 
And  thou  shalt  behold,  like  Israel  on  the  night  of  the  Pass- 
over, the  just  retribution  to  which  the  evil-doers  fall  a  prey. 
nop'J'j  recompense,  retribution,  is  a  hapaxlegomenon,  cf.  ^^pY^, 
Isa.  xxxiv.  8.  Ascribing  the  glory  to  God,  the  second  voice 
confirms  or  ratifies  these  promises. 

Vers.  9^-16.  The  first  voice  continues  this  ratification, 
and  goes  on  weaving  these  promises  still  further :  tiiou  hast 
made  the  Most  High  thy  dwelling-place  (pJ''?)  5  there  shall  not 
touch  thee  .  .  .  The  promises  I'ise  ever  higher  and  higher, 
and  sound  more  glorious.  The  Pual  >^}^,  prop,  to  be  turned 
towards,  is  equivalent  to  "to  befall  one,"  as  in  Prov.  xii.  21-, 
Acpiil a  well  renders:  ov  ixera-^6i](TeTai  Trpo^  ae  kuklu.  3"iip'_"N!? 
reminds  one  of  Isa.  liv.  14,  where  ?X  follows ;  here  it  is  3,  as 
in  Judg.  xix.  13.  The  angel  guardianship  which  is  appor- 
tioned to  him  who  trusts  in  God  appears  in  vers.  11,  12  as  a 
universal  fact,  not  as  a  solitary  fact  and  occurring  only  in 
extraordinary  instances.  Hcec  est  vera  miraculorum  ratio, 
observes  Brentius  on  this  passage,  quod  semel  aut  iterum  mani- 
feste  revelent  ea  qitce  Deus  semper  ahscondite  operatur.  In 
"j^Nb'^  the  suffix  has  been  combined  with  the  full  form  of  the 
future.  The  LXX.  correctly  renders  ver.  126;  fjc^JTrore  irpoa- 
KoyJrT}^  7r/D09  \l0ov  top  iroSa  aov,  for  ^133  everywhere  else,  and 
therefore  surely  here  too  and  in  Prov.  iii.  23,  has  a  transitive 
signification,  not  an  intransitive  (Aquila,  Jerome,  Symma- 
chus),  cf.  Jer.  xiii.  16.  Ver.  13  tells  what  he  who  trusts  in 
God  has  power  to  do  by  virtue  of  this  divine  succour  through 
the  medium  of  angels.  The  promise  calls  to  mind  Mark  xvi. 
18,  6<f)6i<;  apovat,  they  shall  take  up  serj)ents,  but  still  more 
Luke  X.  19  :  Behold,  I  give  you  power  to  tread  iirdvco  ocfieuv 
Koi  aKopirioiv  kol  iirl  iraaav  rip  Bvva/J,iv  tov  e'^Opov.  They  are 
all  kinds  of  destructive  powers  l^elunging  to  nature,  and  par- 
ticularly to  the  spirit- world,  that  are  meant.  They  are  called 
lions  and  fierce  lions  from  the  side  of  their  open  power,  which 
threatens  destruction,  and  adders  and  dragons  from  the  side 


PSALM  XCIL  65 

of  tlieir  venomous  secret  malice.  In  ver.  13a  It  is  promised 
til  t  the  man  who  trusts  in  God  shall  walk  on  over  these 
monsters,  these  malignant  foes,  proud  in  God  and  unharmed  ; 
in  ver.  Idb,  that  he  shall  tread  them  to  the  ground  (cf.  Rom. 
xvi.  20).  That  which  the  divine  voice  of  promise  now  says  at 
the  close  of  the  Psalm  is,  so  far  as  the  form  is  concerned,  an 
echo  taken  from  Ps.  1.  Vers.  15  and  23  of  that  Psalm  sound 
almost  word  for  word  the  same.  Gen.  xlvi.  4,  and  more 
especially  Isa.  Ixiii.  9,  are  to  be  compared  on  ver.  156.  In  B. 
Taanith  16a  it  is  inferred  from  this  passage  that  God  compas- 
sionates the  suffering  ones  whom  lie  is  compelled  by  reason  of 
His  holiness  to  chasten  and  prove.  The  ''  salvation  of  Jahve," 
as  In  1.  23,  is  the  full  reality  of  the  divine  purpose  (or  counsel) 
of  mercy.  To  live  to  see  the  final  glory  was  the  rapturous 
thought  of  the  Old  Testament  hope,  and  in  the  apostolic  age, 
of  the  New  Testament  hope  also. 


PSALM    XCII. 

SABBATH  THOaGHTS. 

2  IT  is  good  to  give  thanks  unto  Jahve, 

And  to  harp  unto  Thy  Name,  O  Most  High — 

3  To  show  forth  in  the  morning  Thy  loving-kindness, 
And  Thy  faithfulness  in  the  nights, 

4  Upon  a  ten-stringed  instrument  and  upon  the  nabla, 
In  skilful  playing  with  the  cithern. 

5  For  Thou  makest  me  glad,  Jahve,  through  Thy  rule, 
Because  of  the  works  of  Thy  hands  can  I  exult. 

6  How  great  are  Thy  works,  Jahve  ! 
Very  deep  are  Thy  thoughts. 

7  A  brutish  man  remains  unconscious, 
And  a  fool  doth  not  discern  this. 

8  When  the  ungodly  sprang  up  as  the  green  herb 
And  all  the  workers  of  evil  flourished, 

It  came  to  pass  that  they  were  absolutely  destroyed. 

9  And  Thou  art  exaltation  for  ever,  Jahve ! 

VOL.  liL  ft 


GG  PSALM  XCIL 

10  For  lo  Thine  enemies,  Jalive — 
For  lo  Thine  enemies  shall  perish, 

All  the  workers  of  evil  shall  melt  away. 

11  And  Thou  exaltest,  as  an  antelope,  my  horn, 
I  am  anointed  with  refreshing  oil. 

12  And  mine  eye  feasteth  upon  those  that  lie  in  wait  for  me, 
Mine  ears  see  their  desire  upon  those  who  maliciously  rose 

up  against  me. 

13  The  righteous  shall  sprout  forth  as  the  palm, 
As  a  cedar  on  Lebanon  shall  lie  grow  up. 

14  Planted  in  the  house  of  Jahve, 

They  shall  blossom  in  the  courts  of  our  God. 

15  They  shall  be  still  vigorous  in  old  age, 
Full  of  sap  and  green  shall  they  remain, 

16  To  make  known  that  Jahve  is  upright, 

My  rock,  and  there  is  no  unrighteousness  in  Him. 

This  Song-Psalm  for  the  Sahhath-doy  was  the  Sabbath- 
Psalm  among  the  week's  Psalms  of  the  post-exilic  service 
(cf.  vol.  i.  pp.  32,  334) ;  and  was  sung  in  the  morning  at  the 
drink-offering  of  the  first  Tamid  Iamb,  just  as  at  the  accom- 
panying Sabbath-musaph-offering  (Num.  xxviii.  9  sq.)  a  part 
of  the  song  Deut.  ch.  xxxii.  (divided  into  six  parts)  was  sung, 
and  at  the  service  connected  with  the  Mincha  or  evening  sacri- 
fice one  of  the  three  pieces,  Ex.  xv.  1-10,  11-19,  Num.  xxi. 
17-20  (B.  Rosh  ha-Shana  31a).  1  :Macc.  ix.  23  is  a  reminis- 
cence from  Ps.  xcii.  deviating  but  little  from  the  LXX.  ver- 
sion, just  as  1  Mace.  vii.  17  is  a  quotation  taken  from  Ps. 
Ixxix.  With  respect  to  the  sabbatical  character  of  the  Psalm, 
it  is  a  disputed  question  even  in  the  Talmud  whether  it  relates 
to  the  Sabbath  of  the  Creation  (R.  Nehemiah,  as  it  is  taken 
by  the  Targum)  or  to  the  final  Sabbath  of  the  world's  history 
(R.  Akiba  :  the  day  that  is  altogether  Sabbath  ;  cf.  Atha- 
nasius  :  alvel  itcelvrjv  ttjv  '^evqaofxevqv  avdiravaiv).  The  latter 
is  relatively  more  correct.  It  praises  God,  the  Creator  of  the 
woi'ld,  as  the  Ruler  of  the  world,  whose  rule  is  pure  loving- 
kindness  and  faithfulness,  and  calms  itself,  in  the  face  of  the 
flourishing  condition  of  rfie  evil-doers,  with  the  prospect  of  the 


rSALM  XCII.  2-1.  67 

final  issue,  which  will  brilliantly  vindicate  the  righteousness  of 
God,  that  was  at  that  time  imperceptible  to  superficial  observa- 
tion, and  will  cliange  the  congregation  of  the  righteous  into  a 
flourishing  grove  of  palms  and  cedars  upon  holy  ground.  In 
this  prospect  Ps.  xcii.  12  and  Ps.  xci.  8  coincide,  just  as  God 
is  also  called  "  the  ^lost  High"  at  the  beginning  of  these  two 
Psalms.  But  that  the  tetragrammaton  occurs  seven  times  in 
both  Psalms,  as  Hengstenberg  says,  does  not  turn  out  to  be 
correct.  Only  the  Sabbath-Psalm  (and  not  Ps.  xci.)  repeats 
the  most  sacred  Name  seven  times.  And  certainly  the  unniis- 
takeable  strophe-schema  too,  6.  6.  7.  6.  6,  is  not  without  signi- 
ficance. The  middle  of  the  Psalm  bears  the  stamp  of  the 
sabbatic  number.  It  is  also  worthy  of  remark  that  the  poet 
gains  the  number  seven  by  means  of  an  anadiplosis  in  ver.  10. 
Such  an  emphatic  climax  by  means  of  repetition  is  common 
to  our  Psalm  with  xciii.  3,  xciv.  3,  xcvi.  13. 

Vers.  2-4.  The  Sabbath  is  the  day  that  God  has  hallowed, 
and  that  is  to  be  consecrated  to  God  by  our  turning  away  from 
the  business  pursuits  of  the  working  days  (Isa.  Iviii.  13  sq.) 
and  applying  ourselves  to  the  praise  and  adoration  of  God, 
which  is  the  most  proper,  blessed  Sabbath  employment.  It  is 
good,  i.e.  not  merely  good  in  the  eyes  of  God,  but  also  good 
for  man,  beneficial  to  the  heart,  pleasant  and  blessed.  Loving- 
kindness  is  designedly  connected  with  the  dawn  of  the  morning, 
for  it  is  mornino;  light  itself,  wdiich  breaks  through  the  niiilit 
(xxx.  6,  lix.  17),  and  faithfulness  with  the  nights,  for  in  the 
perils  of  the  loneliness  of  the  night  it  is  the  best  companion, 
and  nights  of  affliction  are  the  "  foil  of  its  verification."  "lib'j; 
beside  ^2.'^  (73:)  is  equivalent  to  liii'V  ^l??.  in  xxxiii.  2,  cxliv.  9  : 
the  ten-stringed  harp  or  lyre,  li'jn  is  the  music  of  stringed 
instruments  {yid.  on  ix.  17),  and  that,  since  njn  in  itself  is  not 
a  suitable  word  for  the  rustling  (strepitus)  of  the  strings,  the 
impromptu  or  phantasia  playing  (in  Amos  vi.  5,  scornfully, 
1^13),  which  suits  both  ix.  17  (where  it  is  appended  to  the 
forte  of  the  interlude)  and  the  construction  with  Beth  instru- 
menti. 

Vers.  5-7.  Statement  of  the  ground  of  this  commenda- 
tion of  the  praise  of  God.  Whilst  ?y3  is  the  usual  word  for 
God's  liistorical  rule  (xliv.  2,  Ixiv.  10,   xc.  1(5,  etx?.),  17,  'r>;^ 


63  PSALM  XCII.  8-10. 

denotes  the  works  of  the  Creator  of  the  world,  although  not 
to  the  exclusion  of  those  of  the  Ruler  of  the  world  (cxliii.  5). 
To  be  able  to  rejoice  over  the  revelation  of  God  in  creation 
and  the  revelation  of  God  in  general  is  a  gift  from  above, 
which  the  poet  thankfully  confesses  that  he  has  received.  The 
Vulgate  begins  ver.  5  Quia  delectasti  me,  and  Dante  in  his 
Purgatorio,  xxviii.  80,  accordingly  calls  the  Psalm  il  Sabno 
Delectasti;  a  smiling  female  form,  which  represents  the  life  of 
Paradise,  says,  as  she  gathers  flowers,  she  is  so  happy  because, 
with  the  Psalm  Delectasti,  she  takes  a  delight  in  the  glory  of 
God's  works.  The  works  of  God  are  transcendently  great ; 
very  deep  are  His  thoughts,  which  mould  human  history  and 
themselves  gain  form  in  it  (cf.  xl.  6,  cxxxix.  17  sq.,  where 
infinite  fulness  is  ascribed  to  them,  and  Isa.  Iv.  8  sq.,  where 
infinite  height  is  ascribed  to  them).  Man  can  neither  measure 
the  greatness  of  the  divine  works  nor  fathom  the  depth  of  the 
divine  thoughts  ;  he  who  is  enlightened,  however,  perceives  the 
immeasurableness  of  the  one  and  the  unfathomableness  of  the 
other,  whilst  a  "iy3'tJ'''N,  a  man  of  animal  nature,  homo  hnitiis 
(vid.  Ixxiii.  22),  does  not  come  to  the  knowledge  (yn^  i6,  used 
absolutely  as  in  xiv.  4),  and  ^"'03,  a  blockhead,  or  one  dull  in 
mind,  whose  carnal  nature  outweighs  his  intellectual  and  spi- 
ritual nature,  does  not  discern  nxms'  (cf.  2  Sam.  xiii.  17),  id 
ipsum,  viz.  how  unsearchable  are  God's  judgments  and  un- 
trackable  His  ways  (Eom.  xi.  33). 

Vers.  8-10.  Upon  closer  examination  the  prosperity  of  the 
ungodly  is  only  a  semblance  that  lasts  for  a  time.  The  infini- 
tive construction  in  ver.  8  is  continued  in  the  historic  tense, 
and  it  may  also  be  rendered  as  historical,     nn^n  nxr  (Saadia : 

Jij)  is  to  be  supplied  in  thought  before  Uri^'f^Th^  as  in  Job 

xxvii.  14.  What  is  spoken  of  is  an  historical  occurrence 
which,  in  its  beginning,  course,  and  end,  has  been  frequently 
repeated  even  down  to  the  present  day,  and  ever  confirmed 
afresh.  And  thus,  too,  in  time  to  come  and  once  finally  shall 
the  ungodly  succumb  to  a  peremptory,  decisive  CJ'"''"!!^!)  judg- 
ment of  destruction.  Jahve  is  dVv^  DiiO,  by  His  nature  and 
by  His  rule  He  is  "  a  height  for  ever ;"  i.e.  in  relation  to  the 
creature  and  all  that  goes  on  here  below  He  has  a  nature 
bevond  and  above  all  this  {Jenseitiijkeit),  ever  the  same  and 


PSALM  XCII.  U-IC.  69 

absolute ;  He  is  absolutely  inaccessible  to  the  God-opposed 
one  here  below  who  vaunts  himself  in  stupid  pride  and  rebel- 
liously  exalts  himself  as  a  titan,  and  only  suffers  it  to  last  until 
the  term  of  his  barren  blossoming  is  run  out.  Thus  the  present 
course  of  history  will  and  must  in  fact  end  in  a  final  victory 
of  good  over  evil :  for  lo  Thine  enemies,  Jahve — for  lo  Thine 
enemies  .  .  .  H^n  points  as  it  were  with  the  finger  to  the 
inevitable  end  ;  and  the  emotional  anadiplosis  breathes  forth  a 
zealous  love  for  the  cause  of  God  as  if  it  were  his  own.  God's 
enemies  shall  perish,  all  the  workers  of  evil  shall  be  disjointed, 
scattered,  ''''7^9'.  (cf.  Job  iv.  11).  Now  they  form  a  compact 
mass,  which  shall  however  fall  to  pieces,  when  one  day  the 
intermingling  of  good  and  evil  has  an  end. 

Vers.  11-13.  The  hitherto  oppressed  church  then  stands 
forth  vindicated  and  glorious.  The  futt.  co7isec.,  as  preterites 
of  the  ideal  past,  pass  over  further  on  into  the  pure  expression 
of  future  time.  The  LXX.  renders  :  Kal  vylrccd/jcreTac  {'^l^]) 
0)9  /xovoKepcoTO^  TO  Kepat  fiov.  By  Ci^l  (incorrect  for  DSI^ 
primary  form  D^^"!),  jJiovoKepm^,  is  surely  to  be  understood  the 
oryxj  one-horned  according  to  Aristotle  and  the  Talmud  {vid. 
on  xxix.  6,  Job  xxxix.  9-12).  This  animal  is  called  in  Tal- 
mudic  b"ip  (perhaps  abbreviated  from  fiovoKepw'i)  ;  the  Talmud 
also  makes  use  of  NPTS  (the  gazelle)  as  synonymous  with  DNT 
(Aramaic  definitive  or  emphatic  state  t<9^7.).*  The  primary 
passages  for  figures  taken  from  animal  life  are  Num.  xxiii.  22, 
Deut.  xxxiii.  17.  The  liorn  is  an  emblem  of  defensive  power 
and  at  the  same  time  of  stately  grace  ;  and  the  fresh,  green 
oil  an  emblem  of  the  pleasant  feej|ng  and  enthusiasm,  joyous 
in  the  prospect  of  victory,  by  which  the  church  is  then  per- 
vaded (Acts  iii.  19).  The  LXX.  erroneously  takes  'rii^|i  as 
iiijin.  Fiel,  to  jrjpd'i  fxov,  my  being  grown  old,  a  signification 
which  the  Piel  cannot  have.  It  is  1st  prcet.  Kal  from  h^"^,  pev- 
fusus  sum  (cf.  Arabic  balla,  to  be  moist,  ballah  and  hillah, 
moistness,  good  health,  the  freshness  of  youth),  and  the  vltima- 
accentuation,  which  also  occurs  in  this  form  of  double  Ajin 
verbs  without  Waw  convers.  (vid.  on  Job  xix.  17),  ought  not  to 
mislead.  In  the  expression  I^yn  lot?',  the  adjective  used  in  otiier 
instances  only  of  the  olive-tree  itself  is  transferred  to  the  oil, 

*  Vid.  Lewysobn,  Zoolojie  des  Talmud,  §§  IIC  auJ  171. 


70  rSALM  XCII.  11-13. 

^vhich  contains  the  strength  of  its  succulent  verdure  as  an 
essence.  Tiie  ecclesia  j^ressa  is  then  trmmphans.  The  eye, 
wliich  was  wont  to  look  timidly  and  tearfully  upon  the  perse- 
cutors, the  ears,  upon  which  even  their  name  and  the  tidings 
of  their  approach  were  wont  to  produce  terror,  now  see  their 
desire  upon  tlicm  as  they  are  blotted  out.     2  yo'i^  (found  only 

here)  follows  the  sense  of  2  nx"i,  cf.     J  Jh^,  to  lo_se  one's  self 

in  the  contemplation  of  anything.  ^"iVk^  is  either  a  substantive 
after  the  form  1^3,  113,  or  a  participle  in  the  signification 
"  those  who  regarded  me  with  hostilTt\^,  those  who  lay  in  wait 
for  me,"  like  D13,  fled,  Num.  xxxv.  32,  "i^D,  having  removed 
themselves  to  a  distance,  Jer.  xvii.  13,  3V*i',  turned  back,  Mic. 
ii.  8  ;  for  this  participial  form  has  not  only  a  passive  significa- 
tion (like  bio,  circumcised),  but  sometimes,  too,  a  deponent 
perfect  signification  ;  and  W^n  in  Num.  xxxii.  17,  if  it  belongs 
liere,  may  signify  hurried  =:  in  haste.  In  "'"iltJ',  however,  no 
such  passive  colouring  of  the  meaning  is  conceivable  ;  it  is 
therefore  :  insidiati  (Luzatto,  Grammatica,  §  518  :  coloro  die 
mi  gnatavano).  There  is  no  need  for  regarding  the  word, 
with  Bottcher  and  Olshausen,  as  distorted  from  "'lib'  (the  apo- 
copated participle  Pilel  of  the  same  verb) ;  one  might  more 
readily  regard  it  as  a  softening  of  that  word  as  to  the  sound 
(Ewald,  Ilitzig).  In  ver.  12^  it  is  not  to  be  rendered  :  upon 
the  wicked  doers  (villains)  who  rise  up  against  me.  The 
placing  of  the  adjective  thus  before  its  substantive  must  (with 
the  exception  of  3"i  when  used  after  the  manner  of  a  numeral) 
be  accounted  impossible  in  Hebrew,  even  in  the  face  of  the 
passages  brought  forward  by  Hitzig,  viz.  1  Chron.  xxvii.  5, 
1  Sam.  xxxi.  3;*  it  is  therefore:  upon  those  who  as  villains 
rise  up  against.  The  circiTmsTance  that  the  poet  now  in  ver. 
13  passes  frorn  himself  to  speak  of  the  righteous,  is  brought 
about  by  the  fact  that  it  is  the  congregation  of  the  righteous 
in  general,  i.e.  of  those  who  regulate  their  life  according  to 
the  divine  order  of  salvation,  into  whose  future  he  here  takes  a 
glance.     When  the  prosperity  [lit.  the  blossoming]  of  the  un- 


*  lu  the  foriner  passage  t;*XT  jriD  is  taken  as  one  notion  (chief  priest), 
and  in  the  latter  T\t'\>1  D'ti'JS  (men  with  the  bow)  is,  with  Keil,  to  be 
regarded  as  an  apposition. 


PSALM  XCII.  11-lG.  71 

godly  comes  to  au  end,  the  sprin^iiifr  up  and  growth  of  the 
righteous  only  then  ri<:5htly  has  its  beiiinning.  The  richness  of 
the  inflorescence  of  the  date-palm  O^'?)  ^^  ^^^^^'  ^^'^^^  the  fact, 
that  when  it  has  attained  its  full  size,  it  bears  from  three  to  four, 
and  in  some  instances  even  as  many  as  six,  hundred  pounds 
of  fruit.  And  there  is  no  more  charming  and  majestic  sight 
than  the  palm  of  the  oasis,  this  prince  among  the  trees  of  the 
plain,  with  its  proudly  raised  diadem  of  leaves,  its  attitude 
peering  forth  into  the  distance  and  gazing  full  into  the  face  of 
the  sun,  its  perennial  verdure,  and  its  vital  force,  which  con- 
stantly renews  itself  from  the  root — a  picture  of  life  in  the 
midst  of  the  world  of  death.  The  likening  of  the  righteous 
to  the  palm,  to  the  "  blessed  tree,"  to  this  "  sister  of  man,"  as 
the  Arabs  call  it,  offers  points  of  comparison  in  abundance. 
Side  by  side  with  the  palm  is  the  cedar,  the  prince  of  the  trees 
of  the  mountain,  and  in  particular  of  Mount  Lebanon.  The 
most  natural  point  of  comparison,  as  t^^^y]  (cf.  Job  viii.  11) 
states,  is  its  graceCuHofty^rowth^hen  in  general  to  haav  kuI 
depiMov  Koi  dpeylrifiov  (Theodoret),  i.e.  the  intensity  of  its  vege- 
tative strength,  but  also  the  perpetual  verdure  of  its  foliage 
and  the  perfume  (Hos.  xiv.  7)  which  it  exhales. 

Vers.  14-1(3.  The  soil  in  which  the  righteous  are  planted 
or  (if  it  is  not  rendered  with  the  LXX.  Trecf^vreufxevoi,  but  with 
the  other  Greek  versions  fieraipvTevdevTe^)  into  which  they  are 
transplanted,  and  where  they  take  root,  a  planting  of  the  Lord, 
for  His  praise,  is  His  holy  Temple,  the  centre  of  a  family 
fellowship  with  God  that  is  brought  about  from  that  point  as 
its  starting-point  and  is  unlimited  by  time  and  space.  There 
they  stand  as  in  sacred  ground  and  air,  which  impart  to  them 
ever  new  powers  of  life ;  they  put  forth  buds  (0^?'"?  as  in  Job 
xiv.  9)  and  preserve  a  verdant  freshness  and  marrowy  vitality 
(like  the  olive,  lii.  10,  Judg.  ix.  9)  even  into  their  old  age  (ni3 
of  a  productive  force  for  putting  out  shoots;  vid.  with  reference 
to  the  root  22,  Genesis^  S.  635  sq.),  cf.  Isa.  Ixv.  22 :  like  the 
duration  of  the  trees  is  the  duration  of  my  people  ;  they  live 
long  in  unbroken  strength,  in  order,  in  looking  back  upon  a 
life  rich  in  experiences  of  divine  acts  of  righteousness  and 
loving-kindness,  to  confirm  the  confession  which  Moses,  in 
Deut.  xxxii.  4,  places  at  the  head  of  his  great  song.  There 
the  expression  is  b^V  p??,  here  it  is  i3  nn>y  px.      This  'olulha, 


72  PSALM  XCIII. 

softened  from  'axcIatJia—so  the  Ken — with  a  transition  from 
the  mo,  ail  into  6,  is  also  found  in  Job  v.  16  (cf.  nyy  =  n^iy  Ps. 
Iviii.  3,  Ixiv.  7,  Isa.  Ixi.  8),  and  is  certainly  original  in  this 
Psalm,  which  also  has  many  other  points  of  coincidence  with 
the  Book  of  Job  (like  Ps.  cvii.,  which,  however,  in  ver.  42 
transposes  nnVy  into  ^i"^^). 


PSALM    XCIII. 

THE  ROYAL  THRONE  ABOVE  THE  SEA  OF  THE  PEOPLES. 

1  JAHVE   now    is   King,    He    hath    clothed    Himself    with 

majesty ; 
Jahve  hath  clothed  Himself,  He  hath  girded  Himself  with 

might: 
Therefore  the  world  standeth  fast  without  tottering. 

2  Thy  throne  standeth  fast  from  of  old, 
From  everlasting  art  Tiiou. 

3  The  floods  have  lifted  up,  Jahve, 

The  floods  have  lifted  up  their  roaring, 
The  floods  lift  up  their  noise. 

4  More  than  the  rumblings  of  great  waters, 
Of  the  glorious,  of  the  breakers  of  the  sea, 
Is  Jahve  glorious  in  the  height. 

5  Thy  testimonies  are  inviolable, 
Holiness  becometh  Thy  house, 
Jahve,  unto  length  of  days. 

Side  by  side  with  those  Psalms  which  behold  in  anticipa- 
tion the  Messianic  future,  whether  it  be  prophetically  or  only 
typically,  or  typically  and  prophetically  at  the  same  time,  as 
the  kingship  of  Jahve's  Anointed  which  overcomes  and  blesses 
the  world,  there  are  others  in  which  the  perfected  theocracy 
as  such  is  beheld  beforehand,  not,  however,  as  an  appearing 
(parusia)  of  a  human  king,  but  as  the  appearing  of  Jahve 


rSALM  XCIIL  73 

Himself,  as  the  kinrrdom  of  God  manifest  in  all  its  glory. 
These  theocratic  Psalms  form,  together  with  the  christucratic, 
two  series  of  prophecy  referring  to  the  last  time  which  run 
parallel  with  one  another.  The  one  has  for  its  goal  the 
Anointed  of  Jahve,  who  rules  out  of  Zion  over  all  pcojiles ; 
the  other,  Jahve  sitting  above  the  cherubim,  to  whom  the 
whole  world  does  homage.  The  two  series,  it  is  true,  converge 
in  the  Old  Testament,  but  do  not  meet ;  it  is  the  history  that 
fulfils  these  types  and  prophecies  which  first  of  all  makes  clear 
that  which  flashes  forth  in  the  Old  Testament  only  in  certain 
climaxes  of  prophecy  and  of  lyric  too  {vid.  on  xlv.  1),  viz.  that 
the  parusia  of  the  Anointed  One  and  the  parusia  of  Jahve  is 
one  and  the  same. 

Theocracy  is  an  expression  coined  by  Josephus.  In  con- 
trast with  the  monarchical,  oligarchical,  and  democratic  form 
of  government  of  other  nations,  he  calls  the  Mosaic  form 
OeoKpaTia,  but  he  does  so  somewhat  timidly,  &)?  av  rt?  eciroc 
0iaadfx€vo<;  tov  \6yov  [c.  Apion.  ii.  17].  The  coining  of  the 
expression  is  thankworthy ;  only  one  has  to  free  one's  self 
from  the  false  conception  that  the  theocracy  is  a  particular 
constituti'^n.  The  alternating  forms  of  government  were  only 
various  modes  of  its  adjustment.  The  theocracy  itself  is  a 
reciprocal  relationship  between  God  and  men,  exalted  above 
these  intermediary  forms,  which  had  its  first  manifest  begin- 
ning when  Jahve  became  Israel's  King  (Deut.  xxxiii.  5,  cf. 
Ex.  XV.  18),  and  which  will  be  finally  perfected  by  its  breaking 
through  this  national  self-limitation  when  the  King  of  Israel 
becomes  King  of  the  whole  world,  that  is  overcome  both  out- 
wardly and  spiritually.  Hence  the  theocracy  is  an  object  of  pre- 
(liction  and  of  hope.  And  the  word  "^po  ^^  "^^*^  ^^''^'^  reference 
to  Jahve  not  merely  of  the  first  beginning  of  His  imperial 
dominion,  and  of  the  manifestation  of  the  same  in  facts  in 
the  most  prominent  points  of  the  redemptive  history,  but  also 
of  the  commencement  of  the  imperial  dominion  in  its  perfected 
glory.  We  find  the  word  used  in  this  lofty  sense,  and  in  rela- 
tion to  the  last  time,  e.g.  in  Isa.  xxiv.  23,  Hi.  7,  and  most  un- 
mistakeably  in  Apoc.  xi.  17,  xix.  6.  And  in  this  sense  ^)J}'', 
^r?  is  the  watchword  of  the  theocratic  Psalms.  Thus  it  is 
used  even  in  Ps.  xlvii.  9;  but  the  first  of  the  Psalms  beginning 
with  this  watchword  is  Ps.  xciii.     They  are  all  post-exilic.    The 


74  rSALM  XCIII.  1,  2. 

prominent  point  from  which  tliis  eschatological  perspective 
opens  out  is  the  time  of  the  new-born  freedom  and  of  the 
newly  restored  state. 

Hitzig  pertinently  says:  "This  Psahn  is  already  contained 
in  nuce  in  ver.  9  of  the  preceding  Psalm,  which  surely  comes 
from  the  same  author.  This  is  at  once  manifest  from  the 
jerking  start  of  the  discourse  in  ver.  3  (cf.  xcii.  10),  which 
resolves  the  thought  into  two  members,  of  which  the  first  sub- 
sides into  the  vocative  nin\"  The  LXX.  (Codd.  Vat.  and  Sin.) 
inscribes  it :  Eh  rrjv  '^/iieprjv  tov  7rpoaa/3/3dTov,  ore  KarwKiarai 
r)  yi],  alvo<i  u>8Pj^  tw  Aavih.  The  third  part  of  this  inscription 
is  worthless.  The  first  part  (for  which  Cod.  Alex,  erroneously 
has :  rov  (Ta^^drov)  is  corroborated  by  the  Talmudic  tradition. 
Ps.  xciii.  was  really  the  Friday  Psalm,  and  that,  as  is  said  in 
Rosh  ha-shana  31a,  p'hv  l^ni  (^tTL'a)  ID^X^O  -|)0J:^*  m  ^y,  because 
God  then  (on  the  sixth  day)  had  completed  His  creative  work 
and  began  to  reign  over  them  (His  creatures) ;  and  that  ore 
KaTctjKtarai  (al.  KarcpKicxTo)  is  to  be  explained  in  accordance 
therewith :  when  the  earth  had  been  peopled  (with  creatures, 
and  more  especially  with  men). 

Vers.  1,  2.  The  sense  of  ?]^D  (with  a  beside  Zi7inor  or 
SarJca  as  in  xcvii.  1,  xcix.  1  beside  Dechi*)  is  historical,  and  it 
stands  in  the  middle  between  the  present  "^^  'n  and  the  future 
V^\  ''I :  Jahve  has  entered  upon  the  kingship  and  now  reigns. 
Jahve's  rule  heretofore,  since  He  has  given  up  the  use  of  Plis 
omnipotence,  has  been  self-abasement  and  self-renunciation: 
now,  however.  He  shows  Himself  in  all  His  majesty,  which  rises 
aloft  above  everything ;  He  has  put  this  on  like  a  garment ;  He 
is  King,  and  now  too  shows  Himself  to  the  world  in  the  royal 
robe.      The  first  Ka?  has  Olewejored;  then  the  accentuation 


*  It  is  well  known  that  this  pausal  form  of  the  3(/  masc.  prset.  occurs  in 
connection  with  Zukeph;  but  it  is  also  found  with  Jicbia  in  cxii.  10  (the 
reading  0V2\),  Lev.  v.  23  (^n),  Josh.  x.  13  (iny),  Lam.  ii.  17  (ddt  ;  but 
not  in  Deut.  xix.  19,  Zech.  i.  6,  which  passages  Kimchi  counts  up  with 
them  in  his  grammar  Miclihl) ;  with  Tarcha  in  Isa.  xiv.  27  (^'y),  Hos. 
vi.  1  (ci-itp),  Amos  iii.  8  Oxc') ;  with  TeUr  in  Lev.  v.  18  {m)  ;  and  even 
with  Muiiach  in  1  Sam.  vij.  17  (DD'^i*),  and  according  to  Abulwalid  with 
Mcrcha  in  1  Kings  xi.  2  (p3"l). 


PSALM  XCIII.  3-5.  75 

takes  'n  tJ'?^  togetlier  by  means  of  DecJuj  and  "i;T5^'7'^  JV  togetlier 
by  means  of  Athnach.  t'y,  as  in  Ps.  xxix.,  points  to  the  enemies ; 
what  is  so  named  is  God's  invincibly  triumphant  omnipotence. 
This  He  has  put  on  (Isa.  li.  9),  with  this  He  has  girded  Him- 
self— a  military  word  (Isa.  viii.  9)  :  Jahve  makes  war  against 
everything  in  antagonism  to  Himself,  and  casts  it  to  the  ground 
with  the  weapons  of  His  wrathful  judgments.  "We  find  a 
further  and  fuller  description  of  this  "irxnn  ]]}  in  Isa.  lix.  17, 
Ixiii.  1  sq.,  cf.  Dan.  vii.  9.*  That  which  cannot  fail  to  take 
place  in  connection  with  the  coming  of  this  accession  of  Jahve 
to  the  kingdom  is  introduced  with  ^J?.  The  world,  as  being  the 
place  of  the  kingdom  of  Jahve,  shall  stand  without  tottering  in 
opposition  to  all  hostile  powers  (xcvi.  10).  Hitherto  hostility 
towards  God  and  its  principal  bulwark,  the  kingdom  of  the 
world,  have  disturbed  the  equilibrium  and  threatened  all  God- 
appointed  relationships  with  dissolution;  Jahve's  interposition, 
however,  when  He  finally  brings  into  effect  all  the  abundant 
might  of  His  royal  government,  will  secure  immoveableness  to 
the  shaken  earth  (cf.  Ixxv.  4).  His  throne  stands,  exalted 
above  all  commotion,  tND ;  it  reaches  back  into  the  most  distant 
past.  Jahve  is  D^ii'O ;  His  being  loses  itself  in  the  immemorial 
and  the  immeasurable.  The  throne  and  nature  of  Jahve  are 
not  incipient  in  time,  and  therefore  too  are  not  perishable ;  but 
as  without  beginning,  so  also  they  are  endless,  infinite  in  dura- 
tion. 

Vers.  3-5.  All  the  raging  of  the  world,  therefore,  will  not 
be  able  to  hinder  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  its 
final  breaking  through  to  the  glory  of  victory.  The  sea  with  its 
mighty  mass  of  waters,  with  the  constant  unrest  of  its  waves,  with 
its  ceaseless  pressing  against  the  solid  land  and  foaming  against 
the  rocks,  is  an  emblem  of  the  Gentile  world  alienated  from 
and  at  enmity  with  God ;  and  the  rivers  (floods)  are  emblems 
of  worldly  kingdoms,  as  the  Nile  of  the  Egyptian  (Jer.  xlvi. 
7  sq.),  the  Euphrates  of  the  Assyrian  (Isa.  viii.  7  sq.),  or  more 
exactly,  the  Tigris,  swift  as  an  arrow,  of  the  Assyrian,  and  the 


*  These  passages,  together  with  Ps.  xciii.  1,  civ.  1,  are  citeil  in  Ca»t. 
Rahba  266  (cf.  Debarim  Rahba  2^\d),  where  it  is  said  that  the  Holy  One 
calls  Israel  n^j  (bride)  ten  times  in  the  Scriptiu-es,  and  that  Israel  on  the 
other  hand  ten  times  assigns  kingly  judicial  robes  to  Him. 


76  rSALM  XCIII.  3-5. 

tortuous  Euphrates  of  the  Babylonian  empire  (Isa.  xxvii.  1). 
These  rivers,  as  the  poet  says  wliilst  he  raises  a  plaintive  but 
comforted  look  upwards  to  Jahve,  have  lifted  uj),  have  lifted 
up  their  murmur,  the  rivers  lift  up  their  roaring.  The  thought 
is  unfolded  in  a  so-called  "  parallelism  with  reservation."  The 
perfects  affirm  what  has  taken  place,  the  future  that  which 
even  now  as  yet  is  taking  place.  The  ciTra^  \ey.  ''3T  signifies 
a  striking  against  (collisio),  and  a  noise,  a  din.  One  now  in 
ver.  4  looks  for  the  thought  that  Jahve  is  exalted  above  this 
roaring  of  the  waves.  V?  will  therefore  be  the  min  of  compari- 
son, not  of  the  cause :  "  by  reason  of  the  roar  of  great  waters 
are  the  breakers  of  the  sea  glorious"  (Starck,  Geier), — which, 
to  say  nothing  more,  is  a  tautological  sentence.  But  if  \'0  is  com- 
parative, then  it  is  impossible  to  get  on  with  the  accentuation 
of  n''"inx,  whether  it  be  with  Mercha  (Ben-Asher)  or  Dechi 
(Ben-Naphtali).  For  to  render :  More  than  the  roar  of  great 
waters  are  the  breakers  of  the  sea  glorious  (Mendelssohn),  is 
impracticable,  since  D"'m  WJD  are  nothing  less  than  D''  (Isa.  xvii. 
12  sq.),  and  we  are  prohibited  from  taking  n''"''"l3'L^'D  DmN  as  a 
parenthesis  (Koster)  by  the  fact  that  it  is  just  this  clause  that 
is  exceeded  by  'n  Dlioa  •l''^K.  Consequently  nnns  has  to  be 
looked  upon  as  a  second  attributive  to  D''0  brought  in  after- 
wards, and  D^"''"}3{J'0  (the  waves  of  the  sea  breaking  upon  the 
rocks,  or  even  only  breaking  upon  one  another)  as  a  more 
minute  designation  of  these  great  and  magnificent  waters 
(annx,  according  to  Ex.  xv.  10  *),  and  it  should  have  been 

accented  :  D];  'y^^  D^^ns  D^ni  D^O  i  r\)bpr2.  Jahve's  celestial 
majesty  towers  far  above  all  the  noisy  majesties  here  below, 
whose  waves,  though  lashed  never  so  high,  can  still  never  reach 
His  throne.  Pie  is  King  of  His  people,  Lord  of  His  church, 
which  preserves  His  revelation  and  worships  in  His  temple. 
This  revelation,  by  virtue  of  His  unapproachable,  all-overpower- 
ing kingship,  is  inviolable;  His  testimonies,  which  minister  to 


*  A  Talnnulic  cnigmaticcal  utterance  of  R.  Azaria  runs:  ]}~\Z>'"\  VIH  N2'' 
Dmsn  D"'T'TiSO  D'^T'TS^,  Let  the  glorious  One  (Jahve,  Ps.  xciii.  4,  cf. 
Isa.  X.  31,  XXX iii.  21)  come  and  maintain  the  right  of  the  glorious  ones 
(Israel,  Ps.  xvi.  3)  against  the  glorious  ones  (the  Egyptians,  Ex.  xv.  10 
according  to  the  construction  of  the  Talmud)  iu  the  glorious  ones  (the 
\*avc8  of  the  sea,  Ps.  xciii.  4). 


PSALM  XCIV.  77 

tlie  establishment  of  Plis  kingdom  and  promise  its  future  mani- 
festation in  glory,  are  Xoyoc  irtarol  koI  d\r]6ivoi,  Apoc.  xix.  9, 
xxii.  6.  And  holiness  beconieth  His  temple  (*C'7P"nixp,  Zd  prcet. 
Pilel,  or  according  to  the  better  attested  reading  of  lleidenheim 
and  Baer,  "^J^.^^;*  therefore  the  feminine  of  the  adjective  with 
a  more  loosened  syllable  next  to  the  tone,  like  y^V'-,-  ^^  ^^'  1^), 
that  is  to  say,  it  is  inviolable  (sacrosanct),  and  when  it  is  pro- 
faned, shall  ever  be  vindicated  again  in  its  holiness.  This 
clause,  formulated  after  the  manner  of  a  prayer,  is  at  the  same 
time  a  petition  that  Jalive  in  all  time  to  come  would  be  pleased 
to  thoroughly  secure  the  place  where  His  honour  dwells  here 
below  against  profanation. 


PSALM    XCIV. 

THE  CONSOLATION  OF  PRAYER  UNDER  THE  OPPRESSION 
OF  TYRANTS. 

1  O  GOD  of  vengeance,  Jahve, 

O  God  of  vengeance,  shine  forth! 

2  Lift  up  Thyself,  Judge  of  earth, 
Render  recompense  unto  the  haughty  1 

3  How  long  shall  evil-doers,  Jahve, 
How  long  shall  evil-doers  triumph  I 

4  They  gush  over,  they  speak  arrogant  things, 
They  boast  themselves,  all  the  workers  of  evil. 

5  Thy  people,  Jahve,  they  break  in  pieces, 
And  they  oppress  Thine  inheritance. 

6  The  widow  and  stranger  they  slay. 
And  they  murder  the  fatherless  ; 

7  And  say  as  they  do  it :  "  Jah  seeth  not, 
And  the  God  of  Jacob  hath  no  knowlediie." 


*  The  Masora  on  Ps.  cxlvii.  reckous  four  mXJ,  one  miii),  and  one 
mK3,  and  therefore  our  niX3  is  one  of  the  n""^  in  h2^  ^bn  1"?^^'^  P^''^  T' 
p'sn  (cf.  Frensdorf's  OcJda  we-Ochla,  p.  123),  i.e.  one  of  the  seventeen 
■words  whose  Aleph  is  audible,  whilst  it  is  otherwise  always  quiescent ;  e.g. 
riX^'iDS,  otherwise  ns^iO- 


78  PSALM  XCIV. 

.   8  Be  sensible,  ye  senseless  among  the  people ! 
And  ye  fools,  when  will  ye  become  wise? 
9  He  who  hath  planted  the  ear,  ought  He  not  to  hear? 
Or  He  who  formed  the  eye,  ought  He  not  to  see  ? 

10  He  who  chastiseth  the  nations,  ought  He  not  to  reprove, 
He  who  teacheth  men  knowledge  ? 

11  .Tahve  knoweth  the  thoughts  of  men 
That  they  are  vanity. 

12  Blessed  is  the  man  whom  Thou  chastenest,  Jah, 
And  teachest  out  of  Thy  Law  ; 

13  To  give  him  rest  from  the  days  of  adversity. 
Until  the  pit  be  digged  for  the  evil-doer. 

14  For  Jahve  doth  not  thrust  away  His  people, 
And  He  doth  not  forsake  His  inheritance. 

15  But  right  must  turn  unto  righteousness, 
And  all  the  upright  in  heart  shall  follow  it. 

IG  Who  would  rise  up  for  me  against  the  evil-doers? 

Who   would    stand   up   for   me   against   the    workers   of 

17  If  Jahve  had  not  been  my  help,  [iniquity  t 
My  soul  would  quickly  have  dwelt  in  the  silence  of  death. 

18  If  I  say  :  My  foot  tottereth, 

Then,  Jahve,  thy  loving-kindness  upholdeth  me. 

19  In  the  multitude  of  my  cares  within  me 
Thy  comforts  delight  my  soul. 

20  Hath  the  judgment-seat  of  corruption  fellowship  with  Thee, 
Which  f  rameth  trouble  by  decree  ? 

21  They  press  in  upon  the  soul  of  the  righteous, 
And  condemn  innocent  blood. 

22  But  Jahve  is  a  fortress  for  me. 

And  my  God  is  the  high  rock  of  my  refuge. 

23  He  turneth  back  upon  them  their  iniquity, 
And  for  their  wickedness  He  will  destroy  them, 
Jahve  our  God  will  destroy  them. 

Tiiis  Psalm,  akin  to  Ps.  xcii.  and  xciii.  by  the  community 
of  the  anadiplosis,  bears  the  inscription  ¥''aX/A09  ftjSr;9  rco  AavlS, 
TCTpaBt  aa/S/Sdrov  in  the  LXX.     It  is  also  a  Tahnudic  tradi- 


rSALM  XCIV.  1-3.  79 

tion  *  that  it  was  the  Wednesday  song  in  the  Temple  liturgy 
(rerpaSt  aa^^drov  =  T\2''^'1  ^y^i^).  Athanasius  explains  it 
by  a  reference  to  the  fourth  month  (Jer.  xxxix.  2).  The  tw 
Aavih,  however,  is  worthless.  It  is  a  post-Davidic  Psalm  ;  for, 
although  it  comes  out  of  one  mould,  we  still  meet  throughout 
with  reminiscences  of  older  Davidic  and  Asaphic  models.  The 
enemies  against  whom  it  supplicates  the  appearing  of  the  God 
of  righteous  retribution  are,  as  follows  from  a  comparison  of 
vers.  5,  8,  10,  12,  non-Israelites,  who  despise  the  God  of  Israel 
and  fear  not  His  vengeance,  ver.  7 ;  whose  barbarous  doings, 
however,  call  forth,  even  among  the  oppressed  people  them- 
selves, foolish  doubts  concerning  Jahve's  omniscient  beholding 
and  judicial  interposition.  Accordingly  the  Psalm  is  one  of 
the  latest,  but  not  necessarily  a  Maccabtean  Psalm.  The  later 
Persian  age,  in  which  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  was  written, 
could  also  exhibit  circumstances  and  moods  such  as  these. 

Vers.  1-3.  The  first  strophe  prays  that  God  would  at 
length  put  a  judicial  restraint  upon  the  arrogance  of  ungodli- 
ness. Instead  of  TSin  (a  less  frequent  form  of  the  imperative 
for  ysin,  Ges.  §  53,  rem.  3)  it  was  perhaps  originally  written 
nysin  (Ixxx.  2),  the  He  of  which  has  been  lost  owing  to  the 
He  that  follows.  The  plural  T\\'C\>1  signifies  not  merely  single 
instances  of  taking  vengeance  (Ezek.  xxv.  17,  cf.  supra  xviii. 
48),  but  also  intensively  complete  revenge  or  recompense 
(Judg.  xi.  36,  2  Sam.  iv.  8).  The  designation  of  God  is 
similar  to  nipca  ?X  in  Jer.  li.  56,  and  the  anadiplosis  is  like 
vers.  3,  23,  xciii.  1,  3.  ^ff'^'l,  lift  Thyself  up,  arise,  viz.  in 
judicial  majesty,  calls  to  mind  vii.  7.  ''^C?  3''K'n  is  construed 
with  pV  (cf.  ?,  xxviii.  4,  Isa.  lix.  18)  as  in  Joel  iv.  4.  With 
CNi  accidentally  accord  a'yav6<i  and  Kv^el  '^aioav  in  the  epic  poets. 


*  According  to  B.  Erachin  11a,  at  the  time  of  the  Chaldseau  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  the  Levites  on  their  pulpits  were  singing  this  94:th  Psalm, 
and  as  they  came  to  the  words  "and  He  turneth  back  upon  them  their 
iniquity"  (ver.  23),  the  enemies  pressed  into  the  Temple,  so  that  they  were 
not  able  to  sing  the  closing  words,  "  Jahve,  our  God,  will  destroy  them." 
To  the  scruple  that  Ps.  xciv.  is  a  Wednesday,  not  a  Sunday,  Psalm  (that 
fatal  day,  however,  was  a  Sunday,  T\yy  ^S!»1I0),  it  is  replied,  it  may  have 
been  a  lamentation  song  that  had  just  been  put  into  their  mouths  by  the 
circumstances  of  that  time  (in^^D1S3  in^  h^T\  S'O^i'D  X"^N)- 


80  PSALM  XCIV.  4-11. 

Vers.  4-7.  The  second  strophe  describes  tliose  over  whom 
the  first  prays  that  the  judgment  of  God  may  come.  J?"'?'?  (cf. 
S)''t3n)  is  a  tropical  phrase  used  of  that  kind  of  speech  that 
results  from  strong  inward  impulse  and  flows  forth  in  rich 
abundance.  The  poet  himself  explains  how  it  is  here  (cf.  lix. 
8)  intended :  they  speak  priJ?,  that  which  is  unrestrained,  un- 
bridled, insolent  (vid.  xxxi.  19).     The  Hithpa.  "ttaNnn  Schultens 

interprets  ut  Emiri  (  .a,<;1,  a  commander)  se  gerunt ;  but  "T'OX 

signifies  in  Hebrew  the  top  of  a  tree  {vid.  on  Isa.  xvii.  9) ;  and 
from  the  primary  signification  to  tower  aloft,  whence  too  "l»^{, 
to  speak,  prop,  efferre  ^  effari^  "'^^'7'^,  like  I?!!'?'?  in  Isa.  Ixi.  6, 
directly  signifies  to  exalt  one's  self,  to  carry  one's  self  high,  to 
strut.  On  15^31^.  cf.  Prov.  xxii.  22,  Isa.  iii.  15 ;  and  on  their 
atheistical  principle  which  ^iittN'l  places  in  closest  connection 
with  their  mode  of  action,  cf.  x.  11,  lix.  8  extrem.  The  Dagesh 
in  1^',  distinct  from  the  Dag.  in  the  same  word  in  ver.  12, 
cxviii.  5,  18,  is  the  Dag.  forte  conjunct,  according  to  the  rule  of 
the  so-called  pTiT  (vol.  ii.  p.  354,  note). 

Vers.  8-11.  The  third  strophe  now  turns  from  those 
bloodthirsty,  blasphemous  oppressors  of  the  people  of  God 
whose  conduct  calls  forth  the  vengeance  of  Jahve,  to  those 
among  the  people  themselves,  who  have  been  puzzled  about  the 
omniscience  and  indirectly  about  the  righteousness  of  God  by 
the  fact  that  this  vengeance  is  delayed.  They  are  called  Q"'"]!'.^ 
and  Qv''??  in  the  sense  of  Ixxiii.  21  sq.  Those  hitherto  de- 
scribed against  whom  God's  vengeance  is  supplicated  are  this 
also ;  but  this  appellation  would  be  too  one-sided  for  them,  and 
Dys  refers  the  address  expressly  to  a  class  of  men  among  the 
people  whom  those  oppress  and  slay.  It  is  absurd  that  God, 
the  planter  of  the  ear  (y^^Ci,  like  yob'  in  Lev.  xi.  7,  with  an 
accented  ultima^  because  the  prcet.  Kal  does  not  follow  the 
rule  for  the  drawing  back  of  the  accent  called  "iins  JIDJ)  and 
the  former  of  the  eye  (cf.  xl.  7,  Ex.  iv.  11),  should  not  be  able 
to  hear  and  to  see ;  everything  that  is  excellent  in  the  creature, 
God  must  indeed  possess  in  original,  absolute  perfection.*    The 


*  The  questions  are  not :  ought  He  to  have  no  ear,  etc. ;  as  Jerome  per- 
tinently observes  in  opposition  to  the  anthropomorphites,  membra  tulit^ 
ej/icieutias  dedit. 


PSALM  XCIV.  12-15.  81 

poet  then  points  to  the  extra-Israehtish  world  and  calls  God 
D"'i3  ">p^,  which  cannot  be  made  to  refer  to  a  warning  by  means 
of  the  voice  of  conscience ;  "ip^  used  thus  without  any  closer 
definition  does  not  signify  "  warning,"  but  "  chastening " 
(Prov.  ix.  7).  Taking  his  stand  upon  facts  like  those  in  Job 
xii.  23,  the  poet  assumes  the  punitive  judicial  rule  of  God 
among  the  heathen  to  be  an  undeniable  fact,  and  presents  for 
consideration  the  question,  whether  He  who  chasteneth  nations 
cannot  and  will  not  also  punish  the  oppressors  of  His  church 
(cf.  Gen.  xviii.  25),  He  who  teacheth  men  knowledge,  i.e.  He 
who  nevertheless  must  be  the  omnipotent  One,  since  all  know- 
ledge comes  originally  from  Him?  Jahve, — thus  docs  the 
course  of  argument  close  in  ver.  11, — sees  through  (H'  of 
penetrative  perceiving  or  knowing  that  goes  to  the  very  root 
of  a  matter)  the  thoughts  of  men  that  they  are  vanity.  Thus 
it  is  to  be  interpreted,  and  not :  for  they  (men)  are  vanity ; 
for  this  ought  to  have  been  n^n  tJ^n  "^3^  whereas  in  the  depen- 
dent clause,  when  the  predicate  is  not  intended  to  be  rendered 
especially  prominent,  as  in  ix.  21,  the  pronominal  subject  may 
precede,  Isa.  Ixi.  9,  Jer.  xlvi.  5  (Hitzig).  The  rendering  of 
the  LXX.  (1  Cor.  iii.  20),  ort  elal  fiuTaiot  (Jerome,  qnoniam 
vance  sunt),  is  therefore  correct ;  n^jn^  with  the  customary  want 
of  exactness,  stands  for  ^^\}.  It  is  true  men  themselves  are 
bin ;  it  is  not,  however,  on  this  account  that  He  who  sees 
through  air  things  sees  through  their  thoughts,  but  He  sees 
through  them  in  their  sinful  vanity. 

Vers.  12-15.  The  fourth  strophe  praises  the  pious  sufferer, 
whose  good  cause  God  will  at  length  aid  in  obtaining  its  right. 
The  "  blessed*  reminds  one  of  xxxiv.  9,  xl.  5,  and  more  espe- 
cially of  Job  V.  17,  cf.  Prov.  iii.  11  sq.  Here  what  are  meant 
are  sufferings  like  those  bewailed  in  vers.  5  sq.,  which  are  how- 
ever, after  all,  the  well-meant  dispensations  of  God.  Con- 
cerning the  aim  and  fruit  of  purifying  and  testing  afflictions 
God  teaches  the  sufferer  out  of  His  Law  (cf.  e.g.  Deut.  viii.  5 
sq.),  in  order  to  procure  him  rest,  viz.  inward  rest  (cf.  Jer.  xiix. 
23  with  Isa.  xxx.  15),  i.e.  not  to  suffer  him  to  be  disheartened 
and  tempted  by  days  of  wickedness,  i.e.  wicked,  calamitous 
days  (Ew.  §  287,  b),  until  (and  it  will  inevitably  come  to  pass) 
the  pit  is  finished  being  dug  into  which  the  ungodly  falls 
headlong  (cf.  cxii.  7  sq.).     ^)  has  the  emphatic  Dagesh,  which 

VOL.  III.  « 


82  PSALM  XCIV.  lC-19. 

properly  does  not  double,  and  still  less  unite,  but  requires  an 
emphatic  pronunciation  of  the  letter,  which  might  easily  be- 
come inaudible.  The  initial  Jod  of  the  divine  name  might 
easily  lose  its  consonantal  value  here  in  connection  with  the 
preceding  toneless  u*  and  the  Dag.  guards  against  this :  cf. 
cxviii.  5,  18.  The  certainty  of  the  issue  that  is  set  in  prospect 
by  iy  is  then  confirmed  with  ""S.  It  is  impossible  that  God 
can  desert  His  church — He  cannot  do  this,  because  in  genend 
right  must  finally  come  to  His  right,  or,  as  it  is  here  expressed, 
£3Bu'0  must  turn  to  P1>*,  i.e.  the  right  that  is  now  subdued  must 
at  length  be  again  strictly  maintained  and  justly  administered, 
and  "  after  it  then  all  who  are  upright  in  heart,"  i.e.  all  such  will 
side  with  it,  joyously  greeting  that  which  has  been  long  missed 
and  yearned  after.  tDSK'p  is  fundamental  right,  which  is  at  all 
times  consistent  with  itself  and  raised  above  the  casual  circum- 
stances of  the  time,  and  P^y,  like  riDN  in  Isa.  xlii.  3,  is  right- 
eousness (justice),  which  converts  this  right  into  a  practical 
truth  and  reality. 

Vers.  16-19.  In  the  fifth  strophe  the  poet  celebrates  the 
praise  of  the  Lord  as  his  sole,  but  also  trusty  and  most  con- 
solatory help.  The  meaning  of  the  question  in  ver.  16  is,  that 
there  is  no  man  who  would  rise  and  succour  him  in  the  con- 
flict with  the  evil-doers  ;  p  as  in  Ex.  xiv.  25,  Judg.  vi.  31, 
and  Dy  (without  CDP?  or  the  like)  in  the  sense  of  contra,  as  in 
Iv.  19,  cf.  2  Chron.  xx.  6.  God  alone  is  his  help.  He  alone 
has  rescued  him  from  death.  '"i\n  is  to  be  supplied  to  ''^p :  if 
He  had  not  been,  or :  if  He  were  not  ;  and  the  apodosis  is  : 
then  very  little  would  have  been  wanting,  then  it  would  soon 
have  come  to  this,  that  his  soul  would  have  taken  up  its  abode, 
etc. ;  cf.  on  the  construction  cxix.  92,  cxxiv.  1-5,  Isa.  i.  9,  and 


*  If  it  is  correct  that,  as  Aben-Ezra  and  Parcbon  testify,  the  ^,  as 
being  compounded  of  o  (m)  -f-  /,  was  pronounced  u  [like  the  u  in  the 
French  word  pur'\  by  the  inliabitants  of  Palestine,  then  this  Dcujesh^  in 
accordance  with  its  orthophonic  function,  is  the  more  intelligible  in  cases 
like  n'  13"ID^n  ;uid  n»  TlSIp,  t;f-  Piusker,  EirdeiluiKj^  S.  153,  and  Geiger, 
Urschrift,  S.  ^ill.  In  isi*  IDIp,  Gen.  xix.  14,  Ex.  xii.  31,  ijjd  lop,  Deut. 
ii,  24,  Tmde  and  Samech  have  this  Dagcsh  for  the  same  reason  as  the 
Sin  in  "I'lXJJ'  in^3Ci'n,  Ex.  xii.  15  (vid.  Heidenheim  on  that  passage),  viz. 
because  there  is  a  danger  in  all  these  cases  of  slurring  over  the  sharp 
sibilant.  Even  Chajug'  (vid.  Ewald  and  Dukes'  Beitrdge,  iii.  23)  confuses 
this  Dag.  orlhophonicnm  with  the  Dag.  forte  cii/Jtoictivum. 


PSALM  XCIV.  -20-23.  83 

on  C3J"?3  with  the  prcet.  Ixxiii.  2,  cxix.  87,  Gen.  xxvi.  10  (on 
the  other  hand  with  the  fut.  Ixxxi.  15).  ^ly^"^  is,  as  in  cxv. 
17,  the  silence  of  the  grave  and  of  Hades ;  here  it  is  the 
object  to  ^J^jij'j  as  in  xxxvii.  3,  Prov.  viii.  12,  and  frequently. 
When  he  appears  to  himself  already  as  one  that  has  fallen, 
God's  mercy  holds  him  up.  And  when  thoughts,  viz.  sad  and 
fearful  thoughts,  are  multiplied  within  him,  God's  comforts 
delight  him,  viz.  the  encouragement  of  His  word  and  the 
inward  utterances  of  His  Si)irit.  Q'^EUlb',  as  in  cxxxix.  23,  i'^ 
equivalent  to  Q"'Sy'f,  from  ^yt",  ^VD,  i._^.x^,  to  split,  branch  off 
{P.^ychology,  S.  181 ;  tr.  p.  214).  The  plural  form  U'l'Tf^;,  like 
tiie  plural  of  the  imperative  in  Isa.  xxix.  9,  has  two  Fathachs, 
the  second  of  which  is  the  "  independentification"  of  the  Chatejjli 

of  v\y0\. 

Vers.  20—23.  In  the  sixth  strophe  the  poet  confidently 
expects  the  inevitable  divine  retribution  for  which  he  has  ear- 
nestly prayed  in  the  introduction.  '^1^'}]  is  erroneously  ac- 
counted by  many  (and  by  Gesenius  too)  as  fut.  Pual  =  T]in^.  = 
^ay  I3n^,  a  vocal  contraction  together  with  a  giving  up  of  the 
reduplication  in  favour  of  which  no  example  can  be  advanced. 
It  is  fut.  Kal  =  ^^9?'.,  from  I3n^  =  "i^iT^  with  the  same  regres- 
sion of  the  modification  of  the  vowel*  as  in  "IJnj  =  "H^n^.  in  Gen. 
xliii.  29,  Isa.  xxx.  19  (Hupfeld),  but  as  in  verbs  prlmce  gutturalii!, 
so  also  in  C2ri3,  D3n3,  inflected  from  3ri3,  Ew.  §  251,  d.  It 
might  be  more  readily  regarded  as  Pvel  than  as  Fual  (like 
iinpDxnj  Job  XX.  26),  but  the  Kal  too  already  signifies  to  enter 
into  fellowship  (Gen.  xiv.  3,  Hos.  iv.  17),  therefore  (similarly 
to  T}y_,  V.  5)  it  is  :  num  consociabitur  tecum.  ND3  is  here  the 
judgment-seat,  just  as  the  Arabic  cursi  directly  denotes  the  tri- 
bunal of  God  (in  distinction  from  ipji^^  the  throne  of  His 

majesty).  With  reference  to  niin  vid.  on  v.  10.  Assuming 
that  pl~i  is  a  divine  statute,  we  obtain  this  meaning  for  pn'vj? : 
which  frameth  {i.e.  plots  and   executes)   trouble,    by  making 


*  By  means  of  a  similar  transposition  of  the  vowel  as  is  to  be  assumed 
in  unsn,  Prov.  i.  22,  it  also  appears  that  pzioro  =  p3DV:D  (b'iuy  "P^"  ^^"^ 
table,  «:)«x;£(>£wo/)  of  the  Pesach-Haggada  has  to  be  explained,  which 
Joseph  Kimchi  finds  so  inexplicable  that  he  regards  it  as  a  clerical  error 
that  has  become  traditional. 


84  PSALM  XCV. 

the  written  divine  right  into  a  rightful  title  for  unrighteous 
conduct,  by  means  of  which  the  innocent  are  plunged  into 
misfortune.  Hitzig  renders :  contrary  to  order,  after  Prov. 
xvii.  26,  where,  however,  '^'^'^"''V  is  intended  like  eveKev  Bikuio- 
<7vv7](;,  ;Matt.  V.  10.  Olshausen  proposes  to  read  ^^^^  (Ivi. 
7,  lix.  4)  instead  of  ^^i3),  just  as  conversely  Aben-Ezra  in  Ivi. 
7  reads  ^"niJ\      But  113,  1%  has  the  secured  signification  of 

scindere,  inddere  (cf.  Jk^,  but  also  j^,  supraj  i.  399),  from 
which  the  signification  invadere  can  be  easily  derived  (whence 
^^3,  a  breaking  in,  invasion,  an  invading  host).  With  refer- 
ence to  ""p^  D"^  vid.  Psychology,  S.  243  (tr.  p.  286)  :  because 
the  blood  is  the  soul,  that  is  said  of  the  blood  which  applies 
properly  to  the  person.  The  subject  to  ITii"'  are  the  seat  of  cor- 
ruption (by  which  a  high  council  consisting  of  many  may  be 
meant,  just  as  much  as  a  princely  throne)  and  its  accomplices. 
Prophetic  certainty  is  expressed  in  ^"^)^  and  ^K'p.  The  figure 
of  God  as  32b'p  is  Davidic  and  Korahitic.  ^BH^  ll^f  is  ex- 
plained from  xviii.  2.  Since  ^''^'^  designates  the  retribution  as 
a  return  of  guilt  incurred  in  the  form  of  actual  punishment, 
it  might  be  rendered  "  requite "  just  as  well  as  "  cause  to 
return ;"  Cn^^y,  however,  instead  of  D^t'  (liv.  7)  makes  the 
idea  expressed  in  vii.  17  more  natural.  On  Q^yna  Hitzig  cor- 
rectly compares  2  Sam.  xiv.  7,  iii.  27.  The  Psalm  closes  with 
an  anadiplosis,  just  as  it  began  with  one  ;  and  13^^'^N  affirms 
that  the  destruction  of  the  persecutor  will  follow  as  surely  as 
the  church  is  able  to  call  Jahve  its  God. 


PSALM    XCV. 

CALL  TO  THE  WORSHIP  OF  GOD  AND  TO  OBEDIENCE  TO 
HIS  WORD. 

1  COME,  let  us  exult  unto  Jahve, 

Let  us  make  a  joyful  noise  to  the  Kock  of  our  salvation  1 

2  Let  us  come  before  His  face  with  thanksgiving. 
Let  us  make  a  joyful  noise  unto  Him  in  songs  I 


3  For  a  great  God  is  Jahve, 

And  a  great  King  above  all  gods ; 


PSALM  XCV.  1-7.  85 

4  He,  in  whose  hand  are  the  deep  places  of  the  earth, 
And  to  whom  belong  the  tops  of  the  mountains  ; 

5  To  whom  belongeth  the  sea,  and  He  hath  made  it, 
And  His  hands  have  formed  the  dry  laud. 

6  Come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down, 
Let  us  kneel  before  Jahve  our  Maker ! 

7  For  He  is  our  God, 

And  we  are  the  people  of  His  pasture  and  the  flock  of  His 
hand. 


To-day  if  ye  will  but  hearken  to  His  voice  ! 

8  Harden  not  your  hearts  as  at  ]\Ieribah, 

As  on  the  day  of  Massah  in  the  wilderness, 

9  AVhen  your  fathers  tempted  Me, 
Proved  me,  although  they  saw  My  work. 

10  Forty  years  was  I  vexed  with  a  generation, 

And  said  :  "  They  are  a  people  that  do  err  in  their  heart." 
But  they  knew  not  My  ways, 

11  So  that  I  sware  in  My  wrath  : 

"  Verily  they  shall  not  enter  into  My  rest !  " 

This  Psalm  is  related  to  the  preceding  by  the  celebration 
of  Jahve  as  a  "  Eock."  If  it  has  any  definite  occasion,  it  is 
at  any  rate  not  manifest  what  that  occasion  is.  It  consists  of 
a  four-line  introduction  and  two  groups  of  ten  lines. 

Vers.  1,  2.  Jahve  is  called  the  Rock  of  our  salvation  (as 
in  Ixxxix.  27,  of.  xciv.  22)  as  being  its  firm  and  sure  ground. 
Visiting  the  house  of  God,  one  comes  before  God's  face ;  Q"|ii? 
"'JS,  prceoccupare  faciem^  is  equivalent  to  visere  (visitare).  nnin 
is  not  confessio  peccati,  but  laudis.  The  Beth  before  min  is 
the  Beth  of  accompaniment,  as  in  Mic.  vi.  6 ;  that  before  rinoT 
(according  to  2  Sam.  xxiii.  1  a  name  for  psalms,  whilst  ibrp 
can  only  be  used  as  a  technical  expression)  is  the  Beth  of  the 
medium. 

Vers.  Z-lb.  The  adorableness  of  God  receives  a  threefold 
confirmation  :  He  is  exalted  above  all  gods  as  King,  above  all 
things  as  Creator,  and  above  His  people  as  Shepherd  and 
Leader.  C)\npx  (gods)  here,  as  in  xcvi.  4  sq.,  xcvii.  7,  9,  and 
frequently,  are  the   powers  of  the  natural  world  and  of  the 


86  PSALM  XCV.  3-7. 

world  of  men,  which  the  Gentiles  deify  and  call  kings  (as 
Moloch  (Molech),  the  deified  fire),  which,  however,  all  stand 
under  the  lordship  of  Jahve,  who  is  infinitely  exalted  above 
everything  that  is  otherwise  called  god  (xcvi.  4,  xcvii.  9).  The 
supposition  that  D''in  niayin  denotes  the  pit-works  (fieraWa)  of 
the  mountains  (Bottcher),  is  at  once  improbable,  because  to  all 
appearance  it  is  intended  to  be  the  antithesis  to  ni<'"''7.i^no,  the 
shafts  of  the  earth.  The  derivation  from  '^V\  (^VJ),  Ku/xvecv, 
KOTTLav,  also  does  not  suit  msyin  in  Num.  xxiii.  22,  xxiv.  8,  for 
"fatigues"  and  "indefatigableness"  are  notions  that  lie  very 
wide  apart.  The  niDyin  fips  of  Job  xxii.  25  might  more  readily 
be  exi)lained  according  to  this  "  silver  of  fatigues,"  i.e.  silver 
that  the  fatiguing  labour  of  mining  brings  to  light,  and  nisyin 
D"'in  in  the  passage  before  us,  with  Gussetius,  Geier,  and 
Hengstenberg  :  cacumina  montmm  quia  defatigantur  qui  eo 
ascendiint,  prop.  ascendings  =  summits  of  the  mountains,  after 
which  mayin  '^QD,  Job  xxii.  25,  might  also  signify  "  silver  of 
the  mountain-heights."  But  the  LXX.,  which  renders  Bo^a 
in  the  passages  in  Numbers  and  ra  v^^  twv  opecov  in  the  pas- 
sage before  us,  leads  one  to  a  more  correct  track.  The  verb 
^Vl  {^^.\),  transposed  from  ys""  (ysi),  goes  back  to  the  root  fi\  f\\ 
to  stand  forth,  tower  above,  to  be  high,  according  to  which 
niQyin  =  nU'S^n  signifies  eminejitice,  i.e.  towerings  =  summits,  or 
prominences  =  high  (the  highest)  perfection  {vid.  on  Job  xxii. 
25).     In  the  passage  before  us  it  is  a  synonym  of  the  Arabic 

^J^>  i\L.K^,  pars  terrce  eminens  (from      ^^  =  ys'',  prop,  instru- 

mentally :  a  means  of  rising  above,  viz.  by  climbing),  and  of 

the  names  of  eminences  derived  from  «^  (after  which  Hitzig 

renders:  the  teeth  of  the  mountains).     By  reason  of  the  fact 

that  Jahve  is  the  Owner  (cf.  1  Sam.  ii.  8),  because  the  Creator 

of  all  things,  the  call  to  worship,  which  concerns  no  one  so 

nearly  as  it  does  Israel,  the  people,  which  before  other  peoples 

is   Jahve's    creation,    viz.    the    creation    of    His    miraculously 

mighty  grace,  is  repeated.     In  the  call  or  invitation,  '^J!!|Ji!*f'7 

jsignifies  to  stretch  one's  self  out  full  length  upon  the  ground, 

'the  proper  attitude  of  adoration;   y^S,  to  curtsey,  to  totter; 

I  and  'il']?,  Arabic  baraka,  starting  from  the  radical  signification 

I  Jlectere,  to  kneel  down,  in  genua  (irpoxw,  pronnm  =:  pi'ocnum) 

I  vrocumhere^  2    Clu'on.  vi.   13   (cf.  Iloleinnnn,  Bibchtudien,  i. 


FSAI.M  XCV.  7-11.  87 

135  f.).  Beside  ^n^VTr'  ^V,  people  of  His  pasture,  i~^  I^'V  is  not 
the  flock  formed  by  His  creating  hand  (Augustine :  ipse  gratia 
sua  nos  oves  fecit),  but,  after  Gen.  xxx.  35,  the  flock  under  His 
protection,  the  flock  led  and  defended  by  His  skilful,  powerful 
hand.  Bottcher  renders :  flock  of  His  charge ;  but  1^  in  this 
sense  (Jer.  vi.  3)  signifies  only  a  place,  and  "flock  of  His 
place"  would  be  poetry  and  prose  in  one  figure. 

Vers.  7c-ll.  The  second  decastich  begins  in  the  midst  of 
the  Masoretic  ver.  7.  Up  to  this  point  the  church  stirs  itself 
up  to  a  worshipping  appearing  before  its  God ;  now  the  voice 
of  God  (Heb.  iv.  7),  earnestly  admonishing,  meets  it,  resound- 
ing from  out  of  the  sanctuary.  Since  3  V^'^  signifies  not 
merely  to  hear,  but  to  hear  obediently,  ver.  7c  cannot  be  a 
conditioning  protasis  to  what  follows.  Hengstenberg  wishes 
to  supply  the  apodosis :  "  then  will  He  bless  you,  His  people ;" 
but  2X  in  other  instances  too  (Ixxxi.  9,  cxxxix.  19,  Prov.  xxiv. 
11),  like  ^7,  has  an  optative  signification,  which  it  certainly  has 
gained  by  a  suppression  of  a  promissory  apodosis,  but  yet  with- 
out the  genius  of  the  language  having  any  such  in  mind  in 
every  instance.  The  word  Di'H  placed  first  gives  prominence 
to  the  present,  in  which  this  call  to  obedience  goes  forth,  as  a 
decisive  turning-point.  The  divine  voice  warningly  calls  to 
mind  the  self-hardening  of  Israel,  which  came  to  light  at 
Meribah,  on  the  day  of  Massah.  What  is  referred  to,  as  also 
in  Ixxxi.  8,  is  the  tempting  of  God  in  the  second  year  of  the 
Exodus  on  account  of  the  failing  of  water  in  the  nei";hbour- 
hood  of  Horeb,  at  the  place  which  is  for  this  reason  called 
Massah  u-Merihah  (Ex.  xvii.  1-7)  ;  from  which  is  to  be  dis- 
tinguished the  tempting  of  God  in  the  fortieth  year  of  the 
Exodus  at  Meribuli,  viz.  at  the  waters  of  contention  near 
Kadesh  (written  fully  Me-Menbath  Kadesh,  or  more  briefly 
Me-Menbah)^  Num.  xx.  2-13  (cf.  on  Ixxviii.  20).  Strictly 
nanoD  signifies  nothing  but  instar  Meribce,  as  in  Ixxxiii.  10 
instar  Midianitarum ;  but  according  to  the  sense,  3  is  equiva- 
lent to  ^ys,  cvi.  32,  just  as  2V3  is  equivalent  to  Di'??.  On  "I'^'X, 
(jiaan,  cf.  Deut.  xi.  6.  The  meaning  of  vVQ  ^syD3  is  not  they 
also  (D3  as  in  lii.  7)  saw  His  work;  for  the  reference  to  the 
giving  of  water  out  of  the  rock  would  give  a  thought  that  is 
devoid  of  purpose  here,  and  the  assertion  is  too  indefinite  for 
it  to  be  understood  of  the  judgment  upon  those  who  tempted 


88  PSALM  XCVL 

God  (Hupfeld  and  Hitzig).  It  is  therefore  rather  to  he 
rendered :  notwithstanding  {ofico'i,  Ew.  §  354,  a)  they  had 
(=  although  they  had,  of.  DJ  iu  Isa.  xHx.  15)  seen  His  work 
(His  wondrous  guiding  and  governing),  and  might  therefore 
be  sure  that  He  would  not  suffer  them  to  be  destroyed.  The 
verb  Lip  coincides  with  Korea),  koto'?.  1113,  for  which  the 
LXX.  has  rfi  yevea  eKeivr),  is  anarthrous  in  order  that  theC 
notion  may  be  conceived  of  more  qualitatively  than  relatively : 
with  a  (whole)  generation.  With  1^^<)  Jahve  calls  to  mind 
the  repeated  declarations  of  His  vexation  concerning  their 
heart,  which  was  always  inclined  towards  error  which  leads  to 
destruction — declarations,  however,  which  bore  no  fruit.  Just 
this  ineffectiveness  of  His  indignation  had  as  its  result  that 
09'^,  not  ori,  but  ware,  as  in  Gen.  xiii.  16,  Dent,  xxviii.  27, 
51,  2  Kings  ix.  37,  and  frequently)  He  sware,  etc.  (QX  =  verily 
not,  Ges.  §  155,  2,  /,  with  the  emphatic  future  form  in  un 
which  follows).  It  is  the  oath  in  Num.  xiv.  27  sqq.  that  is 
meant.  The  older  generation  died  in  the  desert,  and  there- 
fore lost  the  entering  into  the  rest  of  God,  by  reason  of  their 
disobedience.  If  now,  many  centuries  after  Moses,  they 
are  invited  in  the  Davidic  Psalter  to  submissive  adoration  of 
Jahve,  with  the  significant  call :  "  To-day  if  ye  will  hearken 
to  His  voice  !"  and  with  a  reference  to  the  warning  example 
of  the  fathers,  the  obedience  of  faith,  now  as  formerly,  has 
therefore  to  look  forward  to  the  gracious  reward  of  entering 
into  God's  rest,  which  the  disobedient  at  that  time  lost ;  and 
the  taking  possession  of  Canaan  was,  therefore,  not  as  yet  the 
final  nmjo  (Dent.  xii.  9).  Tiiis  is  the  coimection  of  the  wider 
train  of  thought  which  to  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews,  ch.  iii.,  iv.,  follows  from  this  text  of  the  Psalm. 


PSALM   XCVL 

A  GREETING  OF  THE  COMING  KINGDOxM  OF  GOD, 

1  SING  unto  Jahve  a  new  song. 
Sing  unto  Jahve,  all  lands. 

2  Sing  unto  Jahve,  bless  His  Name, 

Clieerfully  proclaim  His  salvation  from  day  to  day. 


PSALM  XCVI.  89 

3  Declare  His  glory  among  the  heathen, 
His  wonders  among  all  peoples. 

4  For  great  is  Jahve  and  worthy  to  be  praised  exceedingly, 
Terrible  is  He  above  all  gods. 

5  For  all  the  gods  of  the  peoples  are  idols, 
But  Jahve  hath  made  the  heavens. 

6  Brightness  and  splendour  are  before  Him, 
Might  and  beauty  are  in  His  sanctuary. 

7  Give  unto  Jahve,  O  ye  races  of  the  peoples, 
Give  unto  Jahve  glory  and  might. 

8  Give  unto  Jahve  the  honour  of  His  Name, 
Take  offerings  and  come  into  His  courts. 

9  Worship  Jahve  in  holy  attire, 
Tremble  before  Him,  all  lands. 

10  Say  among  the  heathen  :  "  Jahve  is  now  King, 
Therefore  the  world  will  stand  without  tottering, 
He  will  govern  the  peoples  in  uprightness." 

11  The  heavens  shall  rejoice 
And  the  earth  be  glad, 

The  sea  shall  roar  and  its  fulness. 

12  The  field  shall  exult  and  all  that  is  therein, 

Then  shall  all  the  trees  of  the  wood  shout  for  joy— 

13  Before  Jahve,  for  He  cometh, 

For  He  cometh  to  judge  the  earth — 

He  shall  judge  the  world  in  righteousness 

And  the  peoples  in  His  faithfulness. 

AVhat  Ps.  xcv.  3  says  :  "  A  great  God  is  Jahve,  and  a  great 
King  above  all  gods^^  is  repeated  in  Ps.  xcvi.  The  LXX. 
inscribes  it  (1)  eoSr^  tw  Aavih,  and  the  chronicler  has  really 
taken  it  up  almost  entire  in  the  song  which  was  sung  on  the 
day  when  the  Ark  was  brought  in  (1  Chron.  xvi.  23-33) ;  but, 
as  the  coarse  seams  between  vers.  22  and  23,  33  and  34  show, 
he  there  strings  together  familiar  reminiscences  of  the  Psalms 
{vid.  on  Ps.  cv.)  as  a  sort  of  mosaic,  in  order  approximately  to 
express  the  festive  mood  and  festive  strains  of  that  day.     And 


90  PSALJI  XCVI. 

(2)  oTe  6  OLKO'i  oiKoBofiecTO  (^Cod.  Vat.  wKoBo/xrjTat.)  /xera  ri^v 
alxf^oKcocrlav.  By  this  the  LXX.  correctly  interprets  the 
Psalm  as  a  post-exilic  song :  and  the  Psalm  corresponds 
throughout  to  the  advance  which  the  mind  of  Israel  has 
experienced  in  the  Exile  concerning  its  mission  in  the  world. 
The  fact  that  the  religion  of  Jahve  is  destined  for  mankind  at 
large,  here  receives  the  most  triumphantly  joyous,  lyrical  ex- 
pression. And  so  far  as  this  is  concerned,  the  key-note  of  the 
Psalm  is  even  deutero-Isaianic.  For  it  is  one  chief  aim  of  Isa. 
ch.  xl.-lxvi.  to  declare  the  pinnacle  of  glory  of  the  Messianic 
apostolic  mission  on  to  which  Israel  is  being  raised  through  the 
depth  of  affliction  of  the  Exile.  All  these  post-exilic  songs 
come  much  nearer  to  the  spirit  of  the  New  Testament  than 
the  pre-exilic  ;  for  the  New  Testament,  which  is  the  intrinsic 
character  of  the  Old  Testament  freed  from  its  barriers  and 
limitations,  is  in  process  of  coming  into  being  (im  Werden 
begriffeyi)  throughout  the  Old  Testament,  and  the  Exile  was 
one  of  the  most  important  crises  in  this  progressive  process. 

Ps.  xcvi.-xcviii.  are  more  Messianic  than  many  in  the  strict 
sense  of  the  word  Messianic ;  for  the  central  (gravitating) 
point  of  the  Old  Testament  gospel  {Heilsverhundigimg)  lies  not 
in  the  Messiah,  but  in  the  appearing  (parusia)  of  Jahve — a 
fact  which  is  explained  by  the  circumstance  that  the  mystery 
of  the  incarnation  still  lies  beyond  the  Old  Testament  know- 
ledge or  perception  of  salvation.  All  human  intervention  in 
the  matter  of  salvation  accordingly  appears  as  purely  human, 
and  still  more,  it  preserves  a  national  and  therefore  outward 
and  natural  impress  by  virtue  of  the  national  limit  within 
which  the  revelation  of  salvation  has  entered.  If  the  ideal 
Davidic  king  who  is  expected  even  does  anything  superhuman, 
he  is  nevertheless  only  a  man — a  man  of  God,  it  is  true,  without 
his  equal,  but  not  the  God-man.  The  mystery  of  the  incarna- 
tion does,  it  is  true,  the  nearer  it  comes  to  actual  revelation, 
cast  rays  of  its  dawning  upon  prophecy,  but  the  sun  itself 
remains  below  the  horizon  :  redemption  is  looked  for  as  Jahve's 
own  act,  and  "Jahve  cometli"  is  also  still  the  watchword  of 
the  last  prophet  (Mai.  iii.  1). 

The  five  six-line  stropiies  of  the  Psalm  before  us  are  not  to 
be  mistaken.  The  chronicler  has  done  away  with  five  lines, 
and  thereby  disorganized  the  strophic  structure ;  and  one  line 


rSALM  XCVI.  1-G.  91 

(ver.  10a)  he  has  removed  from  its  position.  The  originality 
of  the  Psalm  in  the  Psalter,  too,  is  revealed  thereby,  and  the 
non-independence  of  the  chronicler,  who  treats  the  Psalm  as  an 
historian. 

Vers.  1-3.  Call  to  the  nation  of  Jahve  to  sing  praise  to 
its  God  and  to  evangelize  the  heathen.  ^1''*^'  is  repeated  three 
times.  The  new  song  assumes  a  new  form  of  things,  and  the 
call  thereto,  a  present  which  appeared  to  be  a  beginning  that 
furnished  a  guarantee  of  this  new  state  of  things,  a  beginning 
viz.  of  the  recognition  of  Jahve  throughout  the  whole  world 
of  nations,  and  of  His  accession  to  the  lordship  over  the  whole 
earth.  The  new  song  is  an  echo  of  the  approaching  revelation 
of  salvation  and  of  glory,  and  this  is  also  the  inexhaustible 
material  of  the  joyful  tidings  that  go  forth  from  day  to  day 
(Div  Di'p  as  in  Esth.  ill.  7,  whereas  in  the  Chronicles  it  is 
DV^X  DVO  as  in  Num.  xxx.  15).  We  read  ver.  la  verbally 
the  same  in  Isa.  xlii.  10 ;  ver.  2  calls  to  mind  Isa.  Hi.  7,  Ix.  6 ; 
and  ver.  3a,  Isa.  Ixvi.  19. 

Vers.  4-6.  Confirmation  of  the  call  from  the  glory  of 
Jahve  that  is  now  become  manifest.  The  clause  ver.  4a,  as 
also  cxlv.  3,  is  taken  out  of  xlvlli.  2.  D\"17X"?3  is  the  plural  of 
ni?K~?3j  every  god,  2  Chron.  xxxii.  15 ;  the  article  may  stand 
here  or  be  omitted  (xcv.  3,  cf.  cxili.  4).  All  the  elohim,  i.e. 
gods,  of  the  peoples  are  D'-rpx  (from  the  negative  aX),  nothings 
and  good-for-nothings,  unreal  and  useless.  The  LXX.  ren- 
ders Satfxovia,  as  though  the  expression  were  C'lt?^  (cf.  1  Cor. 
x.  20),  more  correctly  etSwXa  in  Apoc.  ix.  20.  What  ver.  5 
says  is  wrought  out  in  Isa.  ch.  xl,  xliv.,  and  elsewhere ;  W^'bn 
is  a  name  of  idols  that  occurs  nowhere  more  frequently  than  In 
Isaiah.  The  sanctuary  (ver.  6)  is  here  the  earthly  sanctuary. 
From  Jerusalem,  over  which  the  light  arises  first  of  all  (Isa. 
ch.  Ix,),  Jahve's  superterrestrial  doxa  now  reveals  itself  in  the 
world.  I'lnrnin  is  the  usual  pair  of  words  for  royal  glory. 
The  chronicler  reads  ver.  66  i^po?  nnm  T'V,  might  and  joy  are 
in  His  place  (nnn  a  late  word,  like  ninx,  brotherhood,  brotherly 
affection,  from  an  old  root,  Ex.  xvlii.  9).  With  tlie  place  of 
God  one  might  associate  the  thought  of  the  celestial  })lace  of 
God  transcending  space ;   the  chronicler  may,  however,  have 


92  PSALM  XCVI.  7-11. 

altered  VJ'npnn  into  lOpoa  because  when  t]ie  Ark  was  brought 
in,  the  Temple  (:;hpon  JT-n)  was  not  yet  built. 

Vers.  7-9.  Call  to  the  families  of  the  peoples  to  worship 
God,  the  One,  living,  and  glorious  God.  =i3n  is  repeated  three 
times  here  as  Ps.  xxix.,  of  which  the  whole  strophe  is  an  echo. 
Isaiah  (ch.  Ix.)  sees  them  coming  in  with  the  gifts  which  they 
are  admonished  to  bring  with  them  into  the  courts  of  Jahve 
(in  Chron.  only :  1'3D^).  Instead  of  ^y  ^V.^^  here  and  in  the 
chronicler,  the  LXX.  brings  the  courts  (mvn)  in  once  more ; 
but  the  dependence  of  the  strophe  upon  Ps.  xxix.  furnishes  a 
guarantee  for  the  "  holy  attire,"  similar  to  the  wedding  gar- 
ment in  the  New  Testament  parable.  Instead  of  VJSp,  ver.  db, 
the  chronicler  has  VJEiplO,  just  as  he  also  alternates  with  both 
forms,  2  Chron.  xxxii.  7,  cf.  1  Chron.  xix.  18. 

Vers.  10,  11.  That  which  is  to  be  said  among  the  peoples 
is  the  joyous  evangel  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  which  is  now 
come  and  realized.  The  watchword  is  "  Jahve  is  King,"  as  in 
Isa.  lii.  7.  The  LXX.  correctly  renders :  6  Kvpio<;  i^aai- 
Xevae*  for  "il?^  i^  intended  historically  (Apoc.  xi.  17).  ^5:?,  as  in 
xciii.  1,  introduces  that  which  results  from  this  fact,  and  there- 
fore to  a  certain  extent  goes  beyond  it.  The  world  below, 
hitherto  shaken  by  war  and  anarchy,  now  stands  upon  founda- 
tions that  cannot  be  shaken  in  time  to  come,  under  Jahve's 
righteous  and  gentle  sway.  This  is  the  joyful  tidings  of  the 
new  era  which  the  poet  predicts  from  out  of  his  own  times, 
when  he  depicts  the  joy  that  will  then  pervade  the  whole  crea- 
tion ;  in  connection  with  which  it  is  hardly  intentional  that  ver. 
11a  and  11^  acrostically  contain  the  divine  names  nin^  and 
in\  This  joining  of  all  creatures  in  the  joy  at  Jahve's  ap- 
pearing is  a  characteristic  feature  of  Isa.  ch.  xl.-lxii.  These 
cords  are  already  struck  in  Isa.  xxxv.  1  sq.  "  The  sea  and  its 
fulness"  as  in  Isa.  xlii.  10.  In  the  chronicler  ver.  10a  (n^XM 
instead  of  IIDS)  stands  between  ver.  lib  and  lie, — according 
to  Ilitzig,  who  uses  all  his  ingenuity  here  in  favour  of  that 
other  recension  of  the  text,  by  an  oversight  of  the  copyist. 


*  In  the  Psalterium  Vercnense  with  the  addition  apo  xijlu,  Cod.  156, 
Latinizing  «^o  t^  i'^'^v '^  >"  t'^^  Latin  Psalters  (the  Vulgate  excepted) 
a  l!g7io,  undoubtedly  an  addition  by  an  early  Christian  hand,  upon  which, 
however,  great  value  is  set  by  Justin  and  all  the  early  Latin  Fallierji. 


PSALM  XCVII.  93 

Vers.  12,  13.  The  chronicler  clianges  ^1^  into  the  prosaic 
'llk^Cj  and  ■iy"'"''5;yi'3  with  the  omission  of  the  ^3  into  "ii"n  "li]}. 
The  psalmist  on  his  part  follows  the  model  of  Isaiah,  who 
makes  the  trees  of  the  wood  exult  and  clap  their  hands,  ch.  Iv. 
12,  xliv.  23.  The  TX,  which  points  into  this  festive  time  of  all 
creatures  which  begins  with  Jahve's  coming,  is  as  in  Isa.  xxxv. 
5  sq.  Instead  of  \3£i?,  ''  before,"  the  chronicler  has  the  ^p.?^?  so 
familiar  to  him,  by  which  the  joy  is  denoted  as  being  occasioned 
by  Jahve's  appearing.  The  lines  ver.  13^c  sound  very  much 
like  ix.  9.  The  chronicler  has  abridged  ver.  13,  by  hurrying  on 
to  the  mosaic-work  portion  taken  from  Ps.  cv.  The  poet  at 
the  close  glances  from  the  ideal  past  into  the  future.  The  two- 
fold K2  is  a  participle,  Ew.  §  200.  Being  come  to  judgment, 
after  He  has  judged  and  sifted,  executing  punishment,  Jahve 
will  govern  in  the  righteousness  of  mercy  and  in  faithfulness 
to  the  promises. 

PSALM    XCVII. 

THE  BREAKING  THROUGH  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD,  THE 
JUDGE  AND  SAVIOUR. 

1  JAHVE  is  now  King,  the  earth  shouteth  for  joy, 
Many  islands  rejoice. 

2  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  Him, 
Righteousness  and  judgment  are  the  pillars  of  His  throne. 

3  Fire  goeth  before  Him 

And  burnetii  up  His  enemies  round  about. 

4  His  lightnings  lighten  the  world ; 

The  earth  seeth  it,  and  trembleth  because  of  it, 

5  Mountains  melt  like  wax  before  Jahve, 
Before  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth. 

6  The  heavens  declare  His  righteousness, 
And  all  the  peoples  see  His  glory. 

7  Confounded  are  all  those  who  serve  graven  images, 
Who  boast  themselves  of  idols  ; 

All  the  gods  cast  themselves  down  to  Him. 

8  Zion  heareth  it  and  rejoiceth  thereat, 


94  PSALM  XCVII.  1-3, 

And  the  daughters  of  Judah  shout  for  joy — 
Because  of  Thy  judgments,  Jahve  ! 

9  For  Thou,  Jahve,  art  the  Most  High  over  all  the  earth, 
Thou  art  highly  exalted  above  all  gods. 

10  Ye  who  love  Jahve,  hate  evil : 

He  who  guardeth  the  souls  of  His  saints, 

Out  of  the  hand  of  the  evil-doer  will  He  rescue  them. 

11  Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous, 
And  for  the  upright-minded  joy. 

12  Rejoice,  ye  righteous,  in  Jahve, 
And  sing  praise  unto  His  holy  Name. 

This  Psalm,  too,  has  the  coming  of  Jahve,  who  enters 
upon  His  kingdom  through  judgment,  as  its  theme,  and  the 
watchword  "  Jahve  is  King"  as  its  key-note.  The  LXX. 
inscribes  it :  rw  AaviB,  ore  rj  <yrj  avrov  KadlaTaTai  (^KaOla- 
raro)  ;  Jerome  :  qiiando  terra  ejus  restituta  est.  The  tw  Aavih 
is  worthless  ;  the  time  of  restoration,  from  which  it  takes  its 
rise,  is  the  post-exilic,  for  it  is  composed,  as  mosaic-work,  out 
of  the  earlier  original  passages  of  Davidic  and  Asaphic  Psalms 
and  of  the  prophets,  more  especially  of  Isaiah,  and  is  entirely 
an  expression  of  the  religious  consciousness  which  resulted 
from  tlie  Exile. 

Vers.  1-3.  We  have  here  nothing  but  echoes  of  the  older 
literature  :  ver.  1,  cf.  Isa.  xlii.  10-12,  li.  5  ;  ver.  2a,  cf.  xviii. 
10,  12  ;  ver.  21  =  Ixxxix.  15 ;  ver.  3a,  cf.  1.  3,  xviii.  9  ;  ver.  oi, 
cf.  Isa.  xlii.  25.  Beginning  with  the  visible  coming  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  the  present,  with  'H^J^  'n  the  poet  takes  his 
stand  upon  the  standpoint  of  the  kingdom  which  is  come. 
With  it  also  comes  rich  material  for  universal  joy.  ^}}^  is  indi- 
cative, as  in  xcvi.  11  and  frequently.  Q*?"!  are  all,  for  all  of 
them  are  in  fact  many  (cf.  Isa.  lii.  15).  The  description  of 
the  theophany,  for  which  the  way  is  preparing  in  ver.  2,  also 
reminds  one  of  Hab.  ch.  iii.  God's  enshrouding  Himself  in 
darkness  bears  witness  to  His  judicial  earnestness.  Because 
He  comes  as  Judge,  the  basis  of  His  royal  throne  and  of 
His  judgment-seat  is  also  called  to  mind.     His  harbinger  is 


PSALM  XCVII.  4-9.  95 

fire,  which  consumes  His  adversaries  on  every  side,  as  tliat 
which  broke  forth  out  of  the  pillar  of  cloud  once  consumed 
the  Egyptians. 

Vers.  4-6.  Again  we  have  nothing  but  echoes  of  the  older 
literature  :  ver.  Aa  =  Ixxvii.  19  ;  ver.  Ab,  cf.  Ixxvii.  17  ;  ver.  5't, 
cf.  Mic.  i.  4  ;  ver.  50,  cf.  Mic.  iv.  13  ;  ver.  6a  =  1.  6  ;  ver.  Gb, 
cf.  Isa.  XXXV.  2,  xl.  5,  Hi.  10,  Ixvi.  18.  The  poet  goes  on  to 
describe  that  which  is  future  with  historical  certainty.  That 
which  Ixxvii.  19  says  of  the  manifestation  of  God  in  the  earlier 
times  he  transfers  to  the  revelation  of  God  in  the  last  time. 
The  earth  sees  it,  and  begins  to  tremble  in  consequence  of  it. 
The  reading  -'D^l,  according  to  Hitzig  (cf.  Ew.  §  232,  h)  tradi- 
tional, is,  however,  only  an  error  of  pointing  that  has  been 
propagated;  tlie  correct  reading  is  the  reading  of  Heidenheim 
and  Baer,  restored  according  to  MSS.,  ?nrj5  (cf.  1  Sam.  xxxi.  3), 
like  pri"),  Dprii,  Qnrilj  and  Ob'ril,  The  figure  of  the  wax  is  found 
even  in  Ixviii.  3 ;  and  Jahve  is  also  called  "  Lord  of  the  whole 
earth"  in  Zech.  iv.  14,  vi.  5.  The  proclamation  of  the  heavens 
is  an  expression  of  joy,  xcvi.  11.  They  proclaim  the  judicial 
strictness  with  which  Jahve,  in  accordance  with  His  promises, 
carries  out  His  plan  of  salvation,  the  realization  of  which  has 
reached  its  goal  in  the  fact  that  all  men  see  the  glory  of  God. 

Vers.  7,  8.  When  the  glory  of  Jahve  becomes  manifest, 
everything  that  is  opposed  to  it  will  be  punished  and  consumed  by 
its  light.  Those  who  serve  idols  will  become  conscious  of  their 
delusion  with  shame  and  terror,  Isa.  xlii.  17,  Jer.  x.  14.  The 
superhuman  powers  (LXX.  ayjeXoi),  deified  by  the  heathen, 
then  bow  down  to  Him  who  alone  is  Elohvn  in  absolute  per- 
sonality. ^inJiilf''?  is  not  imperative  (LXX.,  Syriac),  for  as  a 
command  this  clause  would  be  abrupt  and  inconsequential,  but 
the  perfect  of  that  which  actually  takes  place.  The  quotation 
in  Heb.  i.  6  is  taken  from  Deut.  xxxii.  43,  LXX.  In  ver.  8 
(after  xlviii.  12)  the  survey  of  the  poet  again  comes  back  to  his 
own  nation.  When  Zion  hears  that  Jahve  has  appeared,  and  all 
the  world  and  all  the  powers  bow  down  to  Him,  she  rejoices  ; 
for  it  is  in  fact  her  God  whose  kingship  has  come  to  be  ac- 
knowledged. And  all  the  daughter-churches  of  the  Jewish 
land  exult  together  with  the  mother-church  over  the  salvation 
which  dawns  through  judgments. 

Ver.  9.  This  distichic  epiphonema  (ver.  9a  =  Ixxxiii.  19; 


96  PSALM  XCVIII. 

ver.  9^*,  cf.  xlvii.  3,  10)  might  close  the  Psahn  ;  there  follows 
still,  however,  a  hortatory  strophe  (which  was  perhaps  not 
added  till  later  on). 

Vers.  10-12.  It  is  true  ver.  12a  is  =  xxxii.  11,  ver.  12^> 
=  XXX.  5,  and  the  promise  in  ver.  10  is  the  same  as  in  xxxvii. 
28,  xxxiv.  21 ;  but  as  to  the  rest,  particularly  ver.  11,  this 
strophe  is  original.  It  is  an  encouraging  admonition  to  fidelity 
in  an  age  in  which  an  effeminate  spirit  of  looking  longingly 
towards  [lit.  ogling]  heathenism  was  rife,  and  stedfast  ad- 
lierence  to  Jahve  was  threatened  with  loss  of  life.  Those  who 
are  faithful  in  their  confession,  as  in  the  Maccabsean  age  ('^crt- 
Salot),  are  called  1''']''?n.  The  beautiful  figure  in  ver.  11  is  mis- 
apprehended by  the  ancient  versions,  inasmuch  as  they  read 
nir  (cxii.  4)  instead  of  yit.  i?7l  ^^^^  ^^^  here  signify  sown 
=  strewn  into  the  earth,  but  strewn  along  his  life's  way,  so 
that  he,  the  righteous  one,  advances  step  by  step  in  the  light. 
Hitzig  rightly  compares  KiSvarac,  aKcBvaraij  used  of  the  dawn 
and  of  the  sun.  Of  the  former  Virgil  also  says,  Et  jam  prima 
novo  spargehat  lumine  terras. 


PSALM    XCVIII. 

GREETING  TO  HIM  WHO  IS  BECOME  KNOWN  IN  RIGHTEOUS- 
NESS AND  SALVATION. 

ve  a  new  song, 
For  He  hath  done  marvellous  things, 
His  right  hand  and  His  holy  arm  helped  Him. 

2  Jahve  hath  made  known  His  salvation. 

He  hath  revealed  His  righteousness  before  the  eyes  of  the 
nations. 

3  He  remembered  His  loving-kindness  and  His  faithfulness  to 

the  house  of  Israel, 
All  the  ends  of  the  earth  saw  the  salvation  of  our  God. 

4  Make  a  joyful  noise  unto  Jahve,  all  ye  lands, 
Break  forth  into  I'cjoicing  and  play — 

5  Play  unto  Jahve  with  the  cithern, 
With  the  cithern  and  the  voice  of  song. 


PSALM  XCVIII.  1-G.  97 

6  "With  trumpets  and  tlie  sound  of  tlie  horn, 
Make  a  joyful  noise  before  the  King  Jahvel 

7  Let  the  sea  roar,  and  that  which  filleth  it, 
The  world,  and  those  who  dwell  therein. 

8  Let  the  rivers  clap  their  hands, 
Together  let  the  mountains  rejoice 

9  Before  Jahve,  for  He  cometh  to  judge  tlie  earth — 
He  shall  judge  the  world  with  righteousness. 
And  the  peoples  with  uprightness. 

This  is  the  only  Psalm  wdiich  is  inscribed  "liDTD  without 
further  addition,  whence  it  is  called  in  B.  Ahoda  Zara,  24Z>, 
NDin""  X"11»T0  (the  orphan  Psalm).  The  Peshito  Syriac  inscribes 
it  De  redemtione  populi  ex  ^gypto ;  the  "  new  song,"  however, 
is  not  the  song  of  Moses,  but  the  counterpart  of  this,  cf.  Apoc. 
XV.  3.  There  "  the  Lord  reigneth"  resounded  for  the  first 
time,  at  the  sea ;  here  the  completion  of  the  beginning  there 
commenced  is  sung,  viz.  the  final  glory  of  the  divine  kingdom, 
which  through  judgment  breaks  through  to  its  full  reality. 
The  beginning  and  end  are  taken  from  Ps.  xcvi.  Almost  all 
that  lies  between  is  taken  from  the  second  part  of  Isaiah.  This 
book  of  consolation  for  the  exiles  is  become  as  it  were  a  Casta- 
lian  spring  for  the  religious  lyric. 

Vers.  1-3.  Ver.  lah  we  have  already  read  in  xcvi.  1. 
What  follows  in  ver.  lc-3  is  taken  from  Isa.  lii.  10,  Ixiii.  5, 
cf.  7,  lix.  16,  cf.  xl.  10.  The  primary  passage,  Isa.  lii.  10, 
shows  that  the  Athnach  of  ver.  2  is  correctly  placed,  V/Vp  is 
the  opposite  of  hearsay  (cf.  ,,j^,  from  one's  own  observation, 
o^ip.   ji^ll,  from  the  narrative  of  another  person).     Tlie  dative 

h^-W''  JT'n^  depends  upon  13P1,  according  to  cvi.  45,  cf.  Luke 
i.  54  sq. 

Vers.  4-6.  The  call  in  ver.  4  demands  some  joyful  mani- 
festation of  the  mouth,  which  can  be  done  in  many  ways  ;  in 
ver.  5  the  union  of  song  and  the  music  of  stringed  instru- 
ments, as  of  the  Levites ;  and  in  ver.  6  the  sound  of  wind 
instruments,  as  of  the  priests.  On  ver.  4  cf.  Isa.  xliv.  23,  xlix. 
VOL.  III.  7 


98  PSALM  XCIX. 

13,  Hi.  9,  togetlier  with  xiv.  7  (inasmuch  as  ^i)^]  =!nV3  Is  equi- 
valent to  na-i  ^nya).     nir:T  h)p  is  found  also  in  Isa.  li.  3. 

Vers.  7-9.  Here,  too,  it  is  all  an  echo  of  the  earlier  lan- 
<iuage  of  Psalms  and  prophets  :  ver.  7a  =  xcvi.  11  ;  ver.  7h 
like  xxiv.  1  ;  ver.  8  after  Isa.  Iv.  12  (where  we  find  ^3  t^n^ 
instead  of  the  otherwise  customary  ^3  V?.^,  xlvii.  2  ;  or  ^1?  ^^^, 
2  Kings  xi.  12,  is  said  of  the  trees  of  the  field)  ;  ver.  9  =  xcvi. 
13,  of.  10.  In  the  bringing  in  of  nature  to  participate  in  the 
joy  of  mankind,  the  clapping  rivers  (^li"!"^?)  are  original  to  this 
Psalm  :  the  rivers  cast  up  high  waves,  which  flow  into  one 
another  like  clapping  hands  ;*  cf.  Hab.  iii.  10,  where  the  abyss 
of  the  sea  lifts  up  its  hands  on  high,  i.e.  causes  its  waves  to 
run  mountain-lnVh. 


PSALM    XCIX. 

SONG  OF  PRAISE  IN  HONOUR  OF  THE  THRICE  HOLY  ONE. 

1  JAHVE  reigneth,  the  peoples  tremble  ; 

He  sitteth  upon  the  cherubim,  the  earth  tottereth. 

2  Jahve  in  Zion  is  great. 

And  He  is  exalted  above  all  the  peoples, 
o  They  shall  praise  Thy  great  and  fearful  name — 
Holy  is  He. 


4  And  the  might  of  a  king  who  loveth  the  right 

Hast  Tnou  established  in  righteousness  ; 

Right  and  righteousness  hast  Thou  executed  in  Jacob. 
')  Exalt  ye  Jahve  our  God, 

And  prostrate  yourselves  at  His  footstool — 

Holy  is  He. 

ij  Moses  and  Aaron  among  His  priests. 

And  Samuel  among  those  who  call  upon  His  name — 
They  called  unto  Jahve  and  He  answered  them; 


*  Luther  reuders :  "the  water-floods  exult"  (j'rohlockcii) ;  and  Eychman's 
Vocahularius  prcdicantiinn  explains  plaudere  by  "  to  exult  (froJilocken) 
for  joy,  to  smite  the  hands  together  prai  (jaiuVw ;''''  cf.  Luther's  version  of 
Ezek.  xxi,  17. 


PSALM  XCIX.  1-3.  99 

7  Til  a  pillar  of  cloml  Pie  spoke  to  them  ; 
They  kept  His  testimonies, 

And  the  law  which  He  gave  them. 

8  Jahve  our  God,  Tnou  hast  answered  them  ; 
A  forgiving  God  wast  Thou  unto  them. 
And  one  taking  vengeance  of  their  deeds. 

9  Exalt  ye  Jaiive  our  God, 

And  prostrate  yourselves  at  His  holy  mountain, 
For  holy  is  Jahve  our  God. 

This  is  the  third  of  the  Psalms  (xciii.,  xcvii.,  xcix.)  wliich 
begin  with  the  watchword  '^l^^  '"'•  I^  ^^^^^^  into  three  parts,  of 
which  the  first  (vers.  1-3)  closes  with  N^n  tJ'Hi^j  the  second 
(vers.  4,  5)  with  i^'H  ^riip^  and  the  third,  more  full-toned,  with 
^ynpx  'n  t^'Hi? — an  earthly  echo  of  the  trisagion  of  the  seraphim. 
The  first  two  Sanctuses  are  two  hexastichs ;  and  two  hexastich.s 
form  the  third,  according  to  the  very  same  law  by  which  the 
third  and  the  sixth  days  of  creation  each  consists  of  two  crea- 
tive works.  This  artistic  form  bears  witness  against  Olshausen 
in  favour  of  the  integrity  of  the  text ;  but  the  clare-obscure 
of  the  language  and  expression  makes  no  small  demands  upon 
the  reader. 

Bengel  has  seen  deepest  into  the  internal  character  of  this 
Psalm.  He  says,  "  The  99th  Psalm  has  three  parts,  in  which 
the  Lord  is  celebrated  as  He  who  is  to  come,  as  He  who  is,  and 
as  He  who  was,  and  each  part  is  closed  with  the  ascription  of 
praise  :  He  is  holy."  The  Psalm  is  laid  out  accordingly  by 
Oettinger,  Burk,  and  C  H.  Rieger. 

"Vers.  1-3.  The  three  futures  express  facts  of  the  time  to 
come,  which  are  the  inevitable  result  of  Jahve's  kingly  do- 
minion bearing  sway  from  heaven,  and  here  below  from  Zion, 
over  the  world  ;  they  therefore  declare  what  must  and  will 
happen.  The  participle  insidens  cherubis  (Ixxx.  2,  cf.  xviii.  11) 
is  a  definition  of  the  manner  (Olshausen)  :  He  reigns,  sitting 

enthroned  above  the  cherubim.       m:,   like  j..,  is  a   further 

formation  of  the  root  N3,  vu,  to  bend,  nod.  "What  is  meant  is 
not  a  trembling  that  is  the  absolute  opposite  of  joy,  but  a 
tremblinij  that  leads  on  to  salvation.     Tiie  Byeviarium  in  Psal- 


100  rSALM  XCIX.  4,  5. 

terium,  which  bears  the  name  of  Jerome,  observes :  Terra 
qiiamdiu  immota  fuerit,  sanari  non  potest ;  quando  vero  mota 
fuerit  et  ijitremiierit,  tunc  recipiet  sanitatem.  In  ver.  3a  decla- 
ration passes  over  into  invocation.  One  can  feel  how  the  hope 
that  the  "  great  and  fearful  Name"  (Deut.  x.  17)  will  be  uni- 
versally acknowledged,  and  therefore  that  the  religion  of  Israel 
will  become  the  religion  of  the  world,  moves  and  elates  the  poet. 
The  fact  that  the  expression  notwithstanding  is  not  nnx  ^'Hi^^ 
but  N'ln  ti'ili^,  is  explained  from  the  close  connection  with  the 
seraphic  trisagion  in  Isa.  vi.  3.  fc<iri  refers  to  Jahve  ;  He  and 
His  Name  are  notions  that  easily  glide  over  into  one  another. 

Vers.  4,  5.  The  second  Sanctus  celebrates  Jahve  with 
respect  to  His  continuous  righteous  rule  in  Israel.  The  majo- 
rity of  expositors  construe  it :  "  And  (they  shall  praise)  the 
might  of  the  king,  who  loves  right ;"  but  this  joining  of  the 
clause  on  to  ni""  over  the  refrain  that  stands  in  the  way  is 
hazardous.  Neither  can  nns  t:2t/'»  "rj^D  Tj?"!,  however,  be  an 
independent  clause,  since  ^ns  cannot  be  said  of  T"y,  but  only  of 
its  possessor.  And  the  dividing  of  the  verse  at  inx,  adopted 
by  the  LXX.,  will  therefore  not  hold  good.  nnj<  tODCD  is  an 
attributive  clause  to  "]70  in  the  same  position  as  in  xi.  7  ;  and 
T'y,  with  what  appertains  to  it,  is  the  object  to  J^33i3  placed  first, 
which  has  the  king's  throne  as  its  object  elsewhere  (ix.  8,  2  Sam. 
vii.  13,  1  Ciiron.  xvii.  12),  just  as  it  here  has  the  might  of  the 
king,  which,  however,  here  at  the  same  time  in  I3"'T^''^  takes 
another  and  permutative  object  (cf.  the  permutative  subject  in 
Ixxii.  17),  as  Hitzig  observes ;  or  rather,  since  D''"iC'''D  is  most 
generally  used  as  an  adverbial  notion,  this  nntT'O  (Iviii.  2, 
Ixxv.  3,  ix.  9,  and  frequently),  usually  as  a  definition  of  the 
mode  of  the  judging  and  reigning,  is  subordinated  :  and  the 
might  of  a  king  who  loves  the  right,  i.e.  of  one  who  governs 
not  according  to  dynastic  caprice  but  moral  precepts,  hast  Thou 
established  in  spirit  and  aim  (directed  to  righteousness  and 
equity).  What  is  meant  is  the  theocratic  kingship,  and  ver. 
Ac  says  what  Jahve  has  constantly  accomplished  by  means  of 
this  kingship  :  He  has  thus  maintained  right  and  righteousness 
(cf.  e.g.  2  Sam.  viii.  15,  1  Ciiron.  xviii.  14,  1  Kings  x.  9,  Isa. 
xvi.  5)  among  His  people.  Out  of  this  manifestation  of  God's 
righteousness,  which  is  more  conspicuous,  and  can  be  better 
estimated,  within  the  nation  of  the  history  of  redemption  than 


PSALM  XCIX.  6-9.  101 

elsewliere,  grows  the  call  to  higlily  exalt  Jalive  the  God  of 
Israel,  and  to  bow  one's  self  very  low  at  His  footstool.  Din? 
1''i'-'l,  as  in  cxxxii.  7,  is  not  a  statement  of  the  object  (for  Isa. 
xlv.  14  is  of  another  kind),  but  (like  b^  in  other  instances)  of 
the  place  in  which,  or  of  the  direction  (cf.  vii.  14)  in  which 
the  7rpoaKvvr](n<i  is  to  take  place.  The  temple  is  called  Jahve's 
footstool  (1  Chron.  xxviii.  2,  cf.  Lam.  ii.  1,  Isa.  Ix.  13)  with 
reference  to  the  ark,  the  capporeth  of  which  corresponds  to  the 
transparent  sapphire  (Ex.  xxiv.  10)  and  to  the  crystal-like 
firmament  of  the  mercaba  (Ezek.  i.  22,  cf.  1  Chron.  xxviii.  18). 
Vers.  6-9.  The  vision  of  tlie  third  SaiicUis  looks  into  the 
history  of  the  olden  time  prior  to  the  kings.  In  support  of  the 
statement  that  Jahve  is  a  living  God,  and  a  God  who  proves 
Ilimself  in  mercy  and  in  judgment,  the  poet  appeals  to  three 
heroes  of  the  olden  time,  and  the  events  recorded  of  them. 
The  expression  certainly  sounds  as  though  it  had  reference  to 
something  belonging  to  the  present  time  ;  and  Hitzig  therefore 
believes  that  it  must  be  explained  of  the  three  as  heavenly 
intercessors,  after  the  manner  of  Onias  and  Jeremiah  in  the 
vision  2  Mace.  xv.  12-14.  But  apart  from  this  presupposing  an 
active  manifestation  of  life  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  fallen 
happily  asleep,  which  is  at  variance  with  the  ideas  of  the  latest 
as  well  as  of  the  earliest  Psalms  concerning  the  other  world, 
this  interpretation  founders  upon  ver.  7a,  according  to  which 
a  celestial  discourse  of  God  with  the  three  "  in  the  pillar  of 
cloud "  ought  also  to  be  supposed.  The  substantival  clauses 
ver.  Gab  bear  sufficient  evidence  in  themselves  of  being  a 
retrospect,  by  which  the  futures  that  follow  are  stamped  as 
being  the  expression  of  the  cotemporaneous  past.  The  dis- 
tribution of  the  predicates  to  the  three  is  well  conceived. 
Moses  was  also  a  mighty  man  in  prayer,  for  with  his  hands 
uplifted  for  prayer  he  obtained  the  victory  for  his  people  over 
Amalek  (Ex.  xvii.  11  sq.),  and  on  another  occasion  placed  him- 
self in  the  breach,  and  rescued  them  from  the  wrath  of  God 
and  from  destruction  (cvi.  23,  Ex.  xxxii.  30-32 ;  cf.  also  Num. 
xii.  13  )  ;  and  Samuel,  it  is  true,  is  only  a  Levite  by  descent, 
but  by  office  in  a  time  of  urgent  need  a  priest  (cohen),  for  he 
sacrifices  independently  in  places  where,  by  reason  of  the  ab- 
sence of  the  holy  tabernacle  with  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  it 
was  not  lawful,  according  to  the  letter  of   the   law,  to  offer 


102  PSALM  XCIX.  C-9. 

sacrifices,  he  builds  an  altar  in  Eamali,  liis  residence  as  judije, 
and  has,  in  connection  with  the  divine  services  on  the  high 
place  (Bamd)  there,  a  more  than  high-priestly  position,  inas- 
much as  the  people  do  not  begin  the  sacrificial  repasts  before  he 
has  blessed  the  sacrifice  (1  Sam.  ix.  13).  But  the  character  of 
a  mighty  man  in  prayer  is  outweighed  in  the  case  of  Moses  by 
the  character  of  the  priest ;  for  he  is,  so  to  speak,  the  proto- 
priest  of  Israel,  inasmuch  as  he  twice  performed  priestly  acts 
which  laid  as  it  were  a  foundation  for  all  times  to  come,  viz. 
the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  at  the  ratification  of  the  covenant 
under  Sinai  (Ex.  ch.  xxiv.),  and  the  whole  ritual  which  was 
a  model  for  the  consecrated  priesthood,  at  the  consecration  of 
the  priests  (Lev.  ch.  viii.).  It  was  he,  too,  who  performed  the 
service  in  the  sanctuary  prior  to  the  consecration  of  the  priests  : 
he  set  the  shew-bread  in  order,  prepared  the  candlestick,  and 
burnt  incense  upon  the  golden  altar  (Ex.  xl.  22-27).  In  the 
case  of  Samuel,  on  the  other  hand,  the  character  of  the  media- 
tor in  the  religious  services  is  outweighed  by  that  of  the  man 
mighty  in  prayer :  by  prayer  he  obtained  Israel  the  victory  of 
Ebenezer  over  the  Philistines  (1  Sam.  vii.  8  sq.),  and  con- 
firmed his  words  of  warning  with  the  miraculous  sign,  that  at 
his  calling  upon  God  it  would  thunder  and  rain  in  the  midst  of 
a  cloudless  season  (1  Sam.  xii.  16,  cf.  Sir.  xlvi.  16  sq.). 

The  poet  designedly  says  :  Moses  and  Aaron  wei'e  among 
His  priests,  and  Samuel  among  His  praying  ones.  This  third 
twelve-line  strophe  holds  good,  not  only  of  the  three  in  parti- 
cular, but  of  the  twelve-tribe  nation  of  priests  and  praying 
ones  to  which  they  belong.  For  ver.  la  cannot  be  meant  of 
the  three,  since,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  instance  (Num. 
xii.  5),  it  is  always  Moses  only,  not  Aaron,  much  less  Samuel, 
with  whom  God  negotiates  in  such  a  manner.  C)^\!;|^{  refers  to 
the  whole  people,  which  is  proved  by  their  interest  in  the  divine 
revelation  given  by  the  hand  of  Moses  out  of  the  cloudy 
pillar  (Ex.  xxxiii.  7  sq.).  Nor  can  ver.  ^c  therefore  be  under- 
stood of  the  three  exclusively,  since  there  is  nothing  to  indicate 
the  transition  from  them  to  the  people  :  crying  (D^X"]pj  synco- 
pated like  D\stpn,  1  Sam.  xiv.  33)  to  Jahve,  i.e.  as  often  as  they 
(these  priests  and  praying  ones,  to  whom  a  Moses,  Aaron,  and 
Samuel  belong)  cried  unto  Jahve,  He  answered  them — He 
revealed  Himself  to  this  people  who  had  such  leaders  (choragi), 


rsALM  c.  103 

ill  the  cloLicly  pillar,  to  those  who  kept  His  testimonies  and  the 
law  which  He  gave  them.  A  glance  at  ver.  8  shows  that  iu 
Israel  itself  the  good  and  the  bad,  good  and  evil,  are  dis- 
tinguished. God  answered  those  who  could  pray  to  Him  with 
a  claim  to  be  answered.  Ver.  Ibc  is,  virtually  at  least,  a  rela- 
tive clause,  declaring  the  prerequisite  of  a  prayer  that  may 
be  granted.  In  ver.  8  is  added  the  thought  that  the  history 
of  Israel,  in  the  time  of  its  redemption  out  of  Egypt,  is  not 
less  a  mirror  of  the  righteousness  of  God  than  of  the  pardon- 
ing grace  of  God.  If  vers.  7,  8  are  referred  entirely  to  the 
three,  then  niPvy  and  Di^J,  referred  to  their  sins  of  infirmity, 
appear  to  be  too  strong  expressions.  But  to  take  the  suffix  of 
^C'^''V>?  objectively  (m  quce  in  eos  sicnt  moliti  Core  et  socii  ejns)^ 
with  Symmachus  (^koX  eKhiKO^  eirl  xat?  e7rT]peiaL<i  avrcav)  and 
Kimchi,  as  the  ulciscens  in  omnes  adinventiones  eoruni  of  the 
Vulgate  is  interpreted,*  is  to  do  violence  to  it.  The  reference 
to  the  people  explains  it  all  without  any  constraint,  and  even 
the  flight  of  prayer  that  comes  in  here  (cf.  Mic.  vii.  18).  The 
calling  to  mind  of  the  generation  of  the  desert,  which  fell 
short  of  the  promise,  is  an  earnest  admonition  for  the  genera- 
tion of  the  present  time.  The  God  of  Israel  is  holy  in  love 
and  in  wrath,  as  He  Himself  unfolds  His  Name  in  Ex.  xxxiv. 
6,  7.  Hence  the  poet  calls  upon  his  fellow-countrymen  to 
exalt  this  God,  whom  they  may  with  pride  call  their  own, 
i.e.  to  acknowledge  and  confess  His  majesty,  and  to  fall  down 
and  worship  at  (^  cf.  ?NI,  v.  8)  the  mountain  of  His  holiness, 
the  place  of  His  choice  and  of  His  presence. 


PSALM    C. 

CALL    OF   ALL   THE    WORLD    TO   THE    SERVICE    OF   THE 
TRUE  GOD. 

1  MAKE  a  joyful  noise  unto  Jahve,  all  ye  lands ! 

2  Serve  Jahve  with  gladness. 
Come  before  Him  with  rejoicing. 


*  Vid.  Raeradonck  in  bis  David  proplieta  cet.  1800  :  in  omnes  injurias 
^sis  illatas,  uti  patuit  in  Core  cet 


j  _     I  O  C>~    jL  LvXCU, 


104  PSALM  C. 

3  Know  ye  that  Jalive  is  God : 

He  hath  made  us,  and  His  we  are, 

His  people,  and  the  flock  of  His  pasture. 

4  Come  into  His  gates  with  thanksgiving, 
Into  His  courts  with  praise. 

Give  thanks  unto  Him,  bless  His  name. 

5  For  Jahve  is  good, 

His  mercy  is  everlasting. 

And  to  generation  and  generation  His  faithfulness. 

This  Psalm  closes  the  series  of  deutero-Isaianic  Psalms, 
which  began  with  Ps.  xci.  There  is  common  to  all  of  them  that 
mild  sublimity,  sunny  cheerfulness,  unsorrowful  spiritual  cha- 
racter, and  New  Testament  expandedness,  which  we  wonder  at 
in  the  second  part  of  the  Book  of  Isaiah  ;  and  besides  all  this, 
they  are  also  linked  together  by  the  figure  anadiplosis,  and 
manifold  consonances  and  accords. 

The  arrangement,  too,  at  least  from  Ps.  xciii.  onwards,  is 
Isaianic  :  it  is  parallel  with  the  relation  of  Isa.  ch.  xxiv.-xxvii. 
to  ch.  xiii.-xxiii.  Just  as  the  former  cycle  of  prophecies  closes 
that  concei'ning  the  nations,  after  the  manner  of  a  musical 
finale,  so  the  Psalms  celebrating  the  dominion  of  God,  from 
Ps.  xciii.  onwards,  which  vividly  portray  the  unfolded  glory  of 
the  kingship  of  Jahve,  have  Jubilate  and  Cantate  Psalms  in 
succession. 

From  the  fact  that  this  last  Jubilate  is  entirely  the  echo  of 
the  first,  viz.  of  the  first  half  of  Ps.  xcv.,  we  see  how  inge- 
nious the  arrangement  is.  There  we  find  all  the  thoughts 
which  recur  here.  There  it  is  said  in  ver.  7,  He  is  our  God, 
and  we  are  the  people  of  His  pasture  and  the  Jlock  of  His  hand. 
And  in  ver.  2,  Let  us  come  hefore  His  face  ivith  thanksgiving 
(nnina),  kt  us  make  a  joyful  noise  unto  Him  in  songs  ! 

This  min  is  found  here  in  the  title  of  the  Psalm,  nninf»  liDTO. 
Taken  in  the  sense  of  a  "  Psalm  for  thanksgiving,"  it  would 
say  but  little.  We  may  take  m^rh  in  a  liturgical  sense  (with 
the  Targum,  Mendelssohn,  Evvald,  and  Hitzig),  like  r\2€'7\  Dvi', 
xcii.  1,  in  this  series,  and  like  T3Tn^  in  xxxviii.  1,  Ixx.  1.  What 
is  intended  is  not  merely  the  iCda  of  the  heart,  but  the  shela- 
mim-tuda,  nnin  nnr,  cvii.  22,  cxvi.  17,  which  is  also  called  ab- 


PSALM  C.  1-3.  105 

5olutely  mm  in  Ivi.  13,  2  Cliron.  xxix.  31.  That  kind  of 
shelam'im  is  thus  called  which  is  presented  min'^jy,  i.e.  as 
thankful  praise  for  divine  benefits  received,  more  particularly 
marvellous  protection  and  deliverance  {yid.  Ps.  cvii.). 

Vers.  1-3.  The  call  in  ver.  1  sounds  like  xcviii.  4,  Ixvi.  1. 
P.^'!?"''?  are  all  lands,  or  rather  all  men  belonging  to  the  earth's 
population.  The  first  verse,  without  any  parallelism  and  in 
so  far  monostichic,  is  like  the  signal  for  a  blowing  of  the  trum- 
pets. Instead  of  "  serve  Jahve  with  gladness  (nnnt:'^),"  it  is 
expressed  in  ii.  11,  "  serve  Jahve  with  fear  (nx"i;2)."  Fear  and 
joy  do  not  exclude  one  another.  Fear  becomes  the  exalted 
Lord,  and  the  holy  gravity  of  His  requirements;  joy  becomes 
the  gracious  Lord,  and  His  blessed  service.  The  summons  to 
manifest  this  joy  in  a  religious,  festive  manner  springs  up  out  of 
an  all-hopeful,  world-embracing  love,  and  this  love  is  the  spon- 
taneous result  of  living  faith  in  the  promise  that  all  tribes  of 
the  earth  shall  be  blessed  in  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  in  the 
prophecies  in  which  this  promise  is  unfolded.  U"T  (as  in  iv.  4) 
Theodoret  well  interprets  hC  avrwv  fMaOere  twv  Trpay/xuTov. 
They  are  to  know  from  facts  of  outward  and  inward  experience 
that  Jahve  is  God :  He  hath  made  us,  and  not  we  ourselves. 
Thus  runs  the  Chethib,  which  the  LXX.  follows,  avTO'i  iiroirjaev 
7]fj,d<i  Kul  ov-^  rjfj,6t<i  (as  also  the  Syriac  and  Vulgate) ;  but  Sym- 
machus  (like  Rashi),  contrary  to  all  possibilities  of  language, 
renders  avro<;  iirotijaev  r]fid<;  ovk  6vra<;.  Even  the  Midrash  {Bere- 
sldth  Babba,  ch.  c.  init.)  finds  in  this  confession  the  reverse  of  the 
arrogant  words  in  the  mouth  of  Pharaoh:  "I  myself  have  made 
myself"  (Ezek.  xxix.  3).  The  Keri,  on  the  other  hand,  reads  i^,* 
which  the  Targum,  Jerome,  and  Saadia  follow  and  render :  et 
■ipsius  nos  siwnis.  Hengstenberg  calls  this  Ko't  quite  unsuitable 
and  bad ;  and  Hupfeld,  on  the  other  hand,  calls  the  Chethib  an 
"  unspeakable  insipidity."  But  in  reality  both  readings  accord 
with  the  context,  and  it  is  clear  that  they  are  both  in  harmony 


*  According  to  the  reckoning  of  the  Masora,  there  are  fifteen  passages 
in  the  Old  Testament  in  which  ^^  is  written  and  i^  is  read,  viz.  Ex.  xxi.  8, 
Lev.  xi.  21,  XXV.  30,  1  Sam.  ii.  3,  2  Sam.  xvi.  18,  2  Kings  viii.  10,  Isa.  ix. 
2,  Ixiii.  9,  Ps.  c.  3,  cxxxix.  IG,  Job  xiii.  15  [of.  the  note  there],  xli.  4,  Prov, 
xix.  7,  xxvi.  2,  Ezra  iv.  2.  Because  doubtful,  Isa.  xlix.  5,  1  Chron.  xi.  20 
are  not  reckoned  with  these. 


106  PSALJI  C.  4,  5. 

with  Scripture.  Many  a  one  has  drawn  balsamic  consolation 
from  the  words  ijjse  fecit  nos  et  non  ipsi  nos ;  e.g.  Melancthon 
when  disconsolately  sorrowful  over  the  body  of  his  son  in 
Dresden  on  the  12th  July  1559.  But  in  ipse  fecit  nos  et 
ipsius  nos  sumus  there  is  also  a  rich  mine  of  comfort  and  of 
admonition,  for  the  Creator  is  also  the  Owner,  His  heart 
clings  to  His  creature,  and  the  creature  owes  itself  entirely  to 
Him,  without  whom  it  would  not  have  had  a  being,  and  would 
not  continue  in  being.  Since,  however,  the  parallel  passage, 
xcv.  7,  favours  V]  rather  than  Npl. ;  since,  further,  N^l  is  the 
easier  reading,  inasmuch  as  N^n  leads  one  to  expect  that  an 
antithesis  will  follow  (Hitzig)  ;  and  since  the  "  His  people  and 
the  sheep  of  His  pasture  "  that  follows  is  a  more  natural  con- 
tinuation of  a  preceding  "iJriJN  V]  than  that  it  should  be  attached 
as  a  predicative  object  to  l^b'y  over  a  parenthetical  l^n^S  ii"?] : 
the  Key-i  decidedly  maintains  the  preference.  In  connection 
with  both  readings,  ^'^'V  has  a  sense  related  to  the  history  of 
redemption,  as  in  1  Sam.  xii.  6.  Israel  is  Jahve's  work  (nb'yD), 
Isa.  xxix.  23,  Ix.  21,  cf.  Deut.  xxxii.  6,  15,  not  merely  as  a 
people,  but  as  the  people  of  God,  who  were  kept  in  view  even 
in  the  calling  of  Abram. 

Vers.  4,  5.  Therefore  shall  the  men  of  all  nations  entei 
M'ith  thanksgiving  into  the  gates  of  His  Tem^)le  and  into  the 
courts  of  His  Temple  with  praise  (xcvi.  8),  in  order  to  join 
themselves  in  worship  to  His  church,  which — a  creation  of 
.Tahve  for  the  good  of  the  whole  earth — is  congregated  about 
this  Temple  and  has  it  as  the  place  of  its  worship.  The  pil- 
grimage of  all  peoples  to  the  holy  mountain  is  an  Old  Testa- 
ment dress  of  the  hope  for  the  conversion  of  all  peoples  to  the 
God  of  revelation,  and  the  close  union  of  all  with  the  people  of 
this  God.  His  Temple  is  open  to  them  all.  They  may  enter, 
and  when  they  enter  they  have  to  look  for  great  things.  For 
the  God  of  revelation  (lii.  11,  liv.  8)  is  "good"  (xxv.  8,  xxxiv. 
9),  and  His  loving-kindness  and  faithfulness  endure  for  ever 
— the  thought  that  recurs  frequently  in  the  later  Hallelujah 
and  Hodu  Psalms  and  is  become  a  liturgical  formula  (Jer. 
xxxiii.  11).  The  mercy  or  loving-kindness  of  God  is  the 
generosity,  and  His  faithfulness  the  constancy,  of  His  love. 


PSALM  CI.  107 

PSALM    CI. 

THE  VOWS  OF  A  KING. 

1  OF  mercy  and  right  will  I  sing, 

To  Tliee,  Jalive,  will  I  harp , 

2  I  will  give  heed  to  the  way  of  npriglitness — 

Wlien  wilt  Thou  come  unto  me  ?  ! 
I  will  walk  in  the  innocence  of  iny  heart 
within  my  house, 

3  I  will  not  set  before  mine  eyes 

a  worthless  action  ; 
The  commission  of  excesses  I  hate, 

nothing  shall  cleave  to  me. 

4  A  false  heart  shall  keep  far  from  me, 

I  will  not  cherish  an  evil  thing. 

5  Whoso  secretly  slandereth  his  neighbour, 

him  will  I  destroy ; 
Whoso  hath  a  high  look  and  puffed-up  heart, 
him  will  I  not  suffer. 

6  Mine  eyes  are  upon  the  faithful  of  the  land, 

that  they  may  be  round  about  me ; 
Whoso  walketh  in  the  way  of  uprightness, 
he  shall  serve  me. 

7  He  shall  not  sit  within  my  house 

who  practlsetli  deceit ; 
He  who  speaketli  lies  shall  not  continue 

before  mine  eyes. 

8  Every  morning  will  I  destroy 

all  the  wicked  of  the  earth, 
That  I  may  root  out  of  Jahve's  city 

all  workers  of  iniquity. 

This  is    the   "prince's  Psalm,"*  or  as   it  is  inscribed   in 


*  Eyring,  in  his  Vita  of  Ernest  the  Pious  [Duke  of  Saxe-Gotha,  b. 
1601,  d.  1675],  relates  that  he  sent  an  unfaithful  minister  a  copy  of  the 
101st  Tsahn,  and  that  it  became  a  proverb  in  the  country,  when  an  official 
had  done  anything  wrong  ;  He  will  certainly  soon  receive  the  prince 'j 
Psalm  to  read. 


108  PSALM  CI. 

Luther's  version,  "  David's  mirror  of  a  monarch."  Can  there 
be  any  more  appropriate  motto  for  it  than  what  is  said  of 
Jahve's  government  in  xcix.  4?  In  respect  of  this  passage 
of  Ps.  xcix.,  to  which  Ps.  c.  is  the  finale,  Ps.  ci.  seems  to  be 
appended  as  an  echo  out  of  the  heart  of  David.  The  appro- 
priateness of  the  words  "liopp  nn^  (the  position  of  the  words  is 
as  in  Ps.  xxiv.,  xh,  cix.,  ex.,  cxxxix.)  is  corroborated  by  the 
form  and  contents.  Probably  the  great  historical  work  from 
which  the  chronicler  has  taken  excerpts  furnished  the  post- 
exilic  collector  with  a  further  gleaning  of  Davidic  songs,  or  at 
least  songs  that  were  ascribed  to  David.  The  Psalm  before  us 
beloncfs  to  the  time  during  which  the  Ark  was  in  the  house  of 
Obed-Edom,  where  David  had  left  it  behind  through  terror  at 
the  misfortune  of  Uzzah.  David  said  at  that  time :  "  How 
shall  the  Ark  of  Jahve  come  to  me  (the  unholy  one)  ?  "  2  Sam. 
vi.  8.  He  did  not  venture  to  bring  the  Ark  of  the  Fearful  and 
Holy  One  within  the  range  of  his  own  house.  In  our  Psalm, 
however,  he  gives  utterance  to  his  determination  as  king  to  give 
earnest  heed  to  the  sanctity  of  his  walk,  of  his  rule,  and  of  his 
house ;  and  this  resolve  he  brings  before  Jahve  as  a  vow,  to 
whom,  in  regard  to  the  rich  blessing  which  the  Ark  of  God 
diffuses  around  it  (2  Sam.  vi.  11  sq.),  he  longingly  sighs: 
^^  When  wilt  Thou  come  to  mef!^^  Tliis  cotemporaneous 
reference  has  been  recognised  by  Hammond  and  Venema. 
From  the  fact  that  Jahve  comes  to  David,  Jerusalem  becomes 
"  the  city  of  Jahve,"  ver.  8  ;  and  to  defend  the  holiness  of  this 
the  city  of  His  habitation  in  all  faithfulness,  and  with  all  his 
might,  is  the  thing  to  which  David  here  pledges  himself. 

The  contents  of  the  first  verse  refer  not  merely  to  the 
Psalm  that  follows  as  an  announcement  of  its  theme,  but  to 
David's  whole  life :  graciousness  and  right,  the  self-manifesta- 
tions united  ideally  and,  for  the  king  who  governs  His  people, 
typically  in  Jahve,  shall  be  the  subject  of  his  song.  Jahve, 
the  primal  source  of  graciousness  and  of  right,  it  shall  be,  to 
whom  he  consecrates  his  poetic  talent,  as  also  his  playing  upon 
the  harp,  ^p^  is  condescension  which  flows  from  the  principle 
of  free  love,  and  i^^^V  legality  which  binds  itself  impartially 
and  uncapriciously  to  the  rule  (norm)  of  that  which  is  right 
and  good.     They  are  two  modes  of  conduct,  mutually  temper- 


PSALM  CI.  109 

ing  each  other,  which  God  requires  of  every  man  (Mic.  vi.  8, 
cf.  Matt,  xxiii.  23 :  tijv  Kpiaiv  koI  top  eXeov),  and  more 
especially  of  a  king.  Further,  he  has  resolved  to  give  heetl, 
thoughtfully  and  with  an  endeavour  to  pursue  it  (3  b''2'yr\  as  in 
Dan.  ix.  13),  unto  the  way  of  that  which  is  perfect,  i.e.  blame- 
less. What  is  further  said  might  now  be  rendered  as  a  rela- 
tive clause  :  when  Thou  comest  to  me.  But  not  until  then  ?  ! 
Hitzig  renders  it  differently  :  I  will  take  up  the  lot  of  the  just 
when  it  comes  to  me,  i.e.  as  often  as  it  is  brought  to  my  know- 
ledge. But  if  this  had  been  the  meaning,  "i2"in  would  have 
been  said  instead  of  T}^.^  (Ex.  xviii.  16,  19,  2  Sam.  xix.  12 
[11])  ;  for,  according  to  both  its  parts,  the  expression  Con  Til 
is  an  ethical  notion,  and  is  therefore  not  used  in  a  different 
sense  from  that  in  ver.  6.  Moreover,  the  relative  use  of  the 
interrogative  "'no  in  Hebrew  cannot  be  sui)ported,  with  the 
exception,  perhaps,  of  Pi'ov.  xxiii.  35.  Athanasius  correctly 
interprets  :  ttoOoj  crov  T?;y  Trapouaiav,  w  heairoTa,  Ifielpo/xal  aou 
rrj<i  eVi^ai/ei'a?,  aWa  So?  to  Trodov/ievov.  It  is  a  question  of 
strong  yearning  :  when  wilt  Tliou  come  to  me  ?  is  the  thne 
near  at  hand  when  Thou  wilt  erect  Thy  throne  near  to  me  ? 
If  his  longing  should  be  fulfilled,  David  is  resolved  to,  and 
will  then,  behave  himself  as  he  further  sets  forth  in  the  vows 
he  makes.  He  pledges  himself  to  walk  within  his  house,  i.e. 
his  palace,  in  the  innocence  or  simplicity  of  his  heart  (Ixxviii. 
72,  Prov.  XX.  7),  without  allowing  himself  to  be  led  away  from 
this  frame  of  mind  which  has  become  his  through  grace.  He 
will  not  set  before  his  eyes,  viz.  as  a  proposition  or  purpose 
(Deut.  XV.  9,  Ex.  x.  10,  1  Sam.  xxix.  10,  LXX.),  any  morally 
worthless  or  vile  matter  whatsoever  (xli.  9,  cf.  concerning  ^V!??, 
xviii.  5).  The  commission  of  excesses  he  hates  :  n'j'J?  is  injin. 
comtr.  instead  of  niby  as  in  Gen.  xxxi.  28,  I.  20,  Prov.  xxi.  3, 
cf.  nx-i  Gen.  xlviii.  11,  Snf  Prov.  xxxi.  4.  D^D?  (like  D^^b'  in 
Hos.  V.  2),  as  the  object  of  nb'y,  has  not  a  personal  (Kimchi, 
Ewald)  signification  (cf.  on  the  other  hand  xl.  5),  but  material 
signification  :  {facta)  decUnantia  (like  Cl^,  xix.  14,  inso- 
lentia;  Dv^hj  Zech.  xi.  7,  vincientid) ',  all  temptations  and  in- 
citements of  this  sort  he  shakes  off  from  himself,  so  that 
nothing  of  the  kind  cleaves  to  him.  The  confessions  in  ver.  4 
refer  to  his  own  inward  nature  :  ^W  ^^  (not  ^'?'^?)!,  Prov. 
xvir.  20),  a  false  heart  that  is  not  faithful  in  its  intentions 


110  PSALM  CI. 

either  to  God  or  to  men,  shall  remain  far  from  him  ;  wicked- 
ness (VT  as  in  xxxiv.  15)  he  does  not  wish  to  know,  i.e.  does 
not  wish  to  foster  and  nm'ture  within  him.  Whoso  secretly 
slanders  his  neio;hbour,  him  will  he  destroy  ;  it  will  therefore 
be  so  little  possible  for  any  to  curry  favour  with  him  by  un- 
charitable perfidious  tale-bearing,  of  the  wiliness  of  which 
David  himself  had  had  abundant  experience  in  his  relation  to 
Saul,  that ^  it  will  rather  call  forth  his  anger  upon  him  (Prov. 
XXX,  10).  Instead  of  the  regularly  pointed  ''Jtf'i?^  the  Keri 
reads  ''^B'^»,  m'lOsImi,  a  Poel  Q^?  lingua  petere,  like  r.JJ  oculo 
petere,  elsewhere  ITc"'"?,  Prov.  xxx.  10)  with  d  instead  of  o  {vid. 
on  cix.  10,  Ixii.  4)  and  with  Chirek  compaginis  (vid.  on  Ps. 
cxiii.).  The  "  lofty  of  eyes,"  i.e.  supercilious,  haughty,  and 
the  "  broad  of  heart,"  i.e.  boastful,  puffed  up,  self-conceited 
(Prov.  xxviii.  25,  cf.  xxi.  4),  him  he  cannot  endure  (-'^li^,  pro- 
perly fut.  Hoph.,  I  am  incapable  of,  viz.  nSOT,  which  is  to  be 
supplied  as  in  Isa.  i.  13,  after  Prov.  xxx.  21,  Jer.  xliv.  22).* 
On  the  other  hand,  his  eyes  rest  upon  the  faithful  of  the  land, 
with  the  view,  viz.,  of  drawing  them  into  his  vicinity.  Whoso 
walks  in  the  way  of  uprightness,  he  shall  serve  him  (n'lty,  Qepa- 
ireveiv^  akin  to  "l^y,  hovkevetv).  He  who  practises  deceit  shall 
not  stay  within  his  house  ;  he  who  speaks  lies  shall  have  no 
continuance  (ps"".  is  more  than  equivalent  to  pi)  before  (under) 
his"  eyes.  Every  morning  (^li^?^  as  in  Ixxiii.  14,  Isa.  xxxiii.  2, 
Lam.  iii.  23,  and  2''1i^?r'j  Job  vii.  18),  when  Jahve  shall  have 
taken  up  His  abode  in  Jerusalem,  will  he  destroy  all  evil-doers 
Cytjn  as  in  cxix.  119),  i.e.  incorrigibly  wicked  ones,  wherever 
he  may  meet  them  upon  the  earth,  in  order  that  all  workers  of 
evil  may  be  rooted  out  of  the  royal  city,  which  is  now  become 
the  city  of  Jahve. 


*  lu  both  instances  the  Masora  writes  iniS  (pkne),  but  the  Tahnud, 
B.  Erachin  15b,  had  inx  before  it  when  it  says  :  "  Of  tlie  slanderer  God 
says :  I  and  he  cannot  dweU  together  in  the  world,  I  cannot  bear  it  any 
longer  with  him  (inx)-" 


PSALM  cir.  Ill 


PSALM    CII. 

PRAYER  OF  A  PATIENT  SUFFERER  FOR  HIMSELF  AND  FOR 
THE  JERUSALEM  THAT  LIES  IN  RUINS. 

2  O  JAHVE,  hear  my  prayer, 

And  let  my  cry  come  unto  Thee, 
o  Hide  not  Thy  face  from  me  in  the  day  that  I  am  in  trouble, 

Inchne  Thine  ear  unto  me, 

In  the  day  that  I  call  answer  me  speedily. 

4  For  my  days  are  vanished  in  smoke, 

And  my  bones  are  heated  through  as  a  hearth. 

5  Smitten  like  a  green  herb  and  dried  up  is  my  heart, 
For  I  have  forgotten  to  eat  my  bread, 

6  Because  of  my  loud  crying  my  bones  cleave  to  my  flesh. 

7  I  am  like  a  pelican  of  the  wilderness, 
I  am  become  as  an  owl  of  the  ruins. 

8  Keeping  watch  I  am  as  a  lonely  bird  on  the  house-top. 

9  All  the  day  mine  enemies  reproach  me  ; 
Those  who  are  mad  against  me  swear  by  me. 

10  For  I  have  eaten  ashes  like  bread, 
And  mingled  my  drink  with  weeping, 

11  Because  of  Thine  indignation  and  Tiiy  raging, 
That  Thou  hast  lifted  me  up  and  cast  me  down. 

12  My  days  are  like  a  lengthened  shadow, 

And  I  myself  am  dried  up  like  the  green  herb. 

13  But  Thou,  Jahve,  sittest  enthroned  for  ever. 

And  Thy  remembrance  endureth  into  all  generations. 

14  Tnou  wilt  arise,  have  mercy  upon  Zion, 

For  it  is  time  to  favour  her,  yea  the  time  is  come — 

15  For  Thy  servants  cling  lovingly  to  her  stones, 
And  they  cry  sore  over  her  dust. 

16  And  the  heathen  shall  fear  the  Name  of  Jahve, 
And  all  the  kinjrs  of  the  earth  Thv  glorv, 


112  rSALM  CII. 

17  Because  Jahve  hath  rebuilt  Zion, 
He  hath  appeared  in  His  glory, 

18  He  hath  turned  to  the  prayer  of  the  destitute, 
And  not  despised  their  prayer. 

19  It  shall  be  written  for  the  generation  to  come, 
And  a  people  yet  to  be  created  shall  praise  Jah, 

20  That  He  hath  looked  down  from  His  holy  height, 
From  heaven  unto  earth  hath  Jahve  looked, 

21  To  hear  the  sighing  of  the  prisoner, 

To  set  at  liberty  those  who  are  appointed  to  death, 

22  That  they  may  declare  in  Zion  the  Name  of  Jahve^ 
And  His  praise  in  Jerusalem, 

23  When  the  peoples  are  gathered  together, 
And  the  kingdoms,  to  serve  Jahve. 

24  He  hath  bowed  down  my  strength  in  the  way, 
He  hath  shortened  my  days. 

25  I  said,  My  God,  take  me  not  away  in  the  midst  of  my 

days — 
Into  all  generations  Thy  years  endure. 

26  Of  old  hast  Thou  founded  the  earth. 

And  the  heavens  are  the  work  of  Thy  hands. 
27-  Those  shall  perish,  but  Thou  remainest, 

They  all  shall  wax  old  like  a  garment. 

As  a  vesture  dost  Thou  change  them  and  they  change — 
28  But  Tiiou  art  the  same  and  Thy  years  have  no  end  I 
21)  The  children  of  Thy  servants  shall  dwell, 

And  their  seed  shall  continue  before  Thee. 

Ps.  ci.  utters  the  sigh  :  Whe7i  wilt  Thou  come  to  me  ?  and 
Ps.  cii.  with  the  inscription  :  Prayer  for  an  afflicted  one  lohen 
he  pincth  away  and  poureth  forth  his  complaint  before  Jahve, 
prays,  Let  my  prayer  come  unto  Thee.  It  is  to  be  taken,  too, 
just  as  personally  as  it  sounds,  and  the  person  is  not  to  be  con- 
strued into  a  nation.  The  song  of  the  "'^V  is,  however,  certainly 
a  national  song ;  the  poet  is  a  servant  of  Jahve,  who  shares 
the  calamity  that  has  befallen  Jerusalem  and  its  homeless 
people,  both  in  outward  circumstances  and  in  the  very  depth 
of  his  soul.     ^t?y  signifies  to  pine  away,  languish,  as  in  Ixi.  3, 


rSALM  CII.  2-D.  113 

Isa.  Ivii.  IG  ;  and  in"'':^  "ilt'y  to  pour  out  one's  thoughts  and 
complaints,  one's  anxious  care,  as  in  cxlii.  3,  cf.  1  Sam.  i.  15  sq. 
As  is  the  case  ah-eady  with  many  of  the  preceding  Psahns, 
the  deutero-Isaianic  impression  accompanies  us  in  connection 
with  this  Psalm  also,  even  to  the  end ;  and  the  further  we  get 
in  it  the  more  marked  does  the  echo  of  its  prophetical  proto- 
type become.  The  poet  also  allies  himself  with  earlier  Psahub, 
such  as  xxii.,  Ixix.,  and  Ixxix.,  although  himself  capable  of  lofty 
poetic  flight,  in  return  for  which  he  makes  us  feel  the  absence 
of  any  safely  progressive  unfolding  of  the  thoughts. 

Vers.  2,  3.  The  Psalm  opens  with  familiar  expressions  of 
prayer,  such  as  rise  in  the  heart  and  mouth  of  the  praying  one 
without  his  feeling  that  they  are  of  foreign  origin ;  cf.  more 
especially  xxxix.  13,  xviii.  7,  Ixxxviii.  3  ;  and  on  ver.  3  :  xxvii. 
9  {Hide  not  Thy  face  from  me)  ;  lix.  17  (f?  IV  DVa)  ;  xxxi.  3 
and  frequently  {Incline  Thine  ear  unto  me)  ;  Ivi.  10  (S"ipX  DVa)  ; 
Ixix.  18,  cxliii.  7  {'W  "^H'?)- 

Vers.  4-6.  From  this  point  onward  the  Psalm  becomes 
original.  Concerning  the  Beth  in  t^fV^j  vid.  on  xxxvii.  20. 
The  reading  ti?.  il23  (in  the  Karaite  Ben-Jerucham)  enriches 
the  lexicon  in  the  same  sense  with  a  Avord  which  has  scarcely 
had  any  existence.  If^io  (Arabic  maxikid)  signifies  here,  as  iu 
other  instances,  a  hearth,  ^"in^  is,  as  in  Ixix.  4,  Niphal :  my 
bones  are  heated  through  with  a  fever-heat,  as  a  hearth  witii 
the  smouldering  fire  that  is  on  it.  nsin  (cf.  ^lir,  xciv.  21)  is 
used  exactly  as  in  Hos.  ix.  IB,  cf.  Ps.  cxxi.  6.  The  heart  is 
said  to  dry  up  when  the  life's  blood,  of  which  it  is  the  reser- 
voir, fails.  The  verb  HD"^  is  followed  by  ip  of  dislike.  On  the 
cleaving  of  the  bones  to  the  flesh  from  being  baked,  i.e.  to  the 

skin  (Arabic   JL.-,  in  accordance  with  the  radical  signification, 

the  surface  of  the  body  =  the  skin,  from  "i:r3,  to  brush  along, 
rub,  scrape,  scratch  on  the  surface),  cf.  Job  xix.  20,  Lam. 
iv.  8.  )>  (^N*)  with  p3-n  is  used  just  like  2.  It  is  unnecessary, 
with  Bottcher,  to  draw  '•rims  bipp  to  ver.  5.  Continuous 
straining  of  the  voice,  especially  in  connection  with  persevering 
prayer  arising  from  inward  conflict,  does  really  make  the  body 
waste  away. 

Vers.  7-9.     HNp  (construct  of  ns;?  or  ns;?  from  ^^^?,  vid. 

VOL.  III.  8 


114  PSALM  CII.  10-12. 

Isaiah,  ii.  73),  according  to  the  LXX.,  is  the  pelican,  and  Di3 
is  the  niglit-raven  or  the  little  horned-owl.*  nc*!  obtains  the 
signification  to  be  like,  equal  (ceqiialem  esse),  from  the  radical 
signification  to  be  flat,  even,  and  to  spread  out  flat  (as  the 
Dutch  have  already  recognised).  They  are  both  unclean 
creatures,  which  are  fond  of  the  loneliness  of  the  desert  and 
ruined  places.  To  such  a  wilderness,  that  of  the  exile,  is  the 
poet  unwillingly  transported.  He  passes  the  nights  without 
sleep  C'i?^',  to  watch  during  the  time  for  sleep),  and  is  there- 
fore like  a  bird  sitting  lonesome  p^is,  Syriac  erroneously  Tli^) 
upon  the  roof  whilst  all  in  the  house  beneath  are  sleeping. 
The  Athnach  in  ver.  8  separates  that  which  is  come  to  be  from 
the  ground  of  the  "becoming"  and  the  "becoming"  itself. 
His  grief  is  that  his  enemies  reproach  him  as  one  forsaken  of 
God.  ^Y^'^'^1  part.  Foal,  is  one  made  or  become  mad,  Eccles.  ii. 
2 :  my  mad  ones  =  those  who  are  mad  against  me.  These  swear 
by  him,  inasmuch  as  they  say  when  they  want  to  curse  :  "  God 
do  unto  thee  as  unto  this  man,"  which  is  to  be  explained  accord- 
ing to  Isa.  Ixv.  15,  Jer.  xxix.  22. 

Vers.  10-12.  Ashes  are  his  bread  (cf.  Lam.  iii.  16),  inas- 
much as  he,  a  mourner,  sits  in  ashes,  and  has  thrown  ashes 
all  over  himself,  Job  ii.  8,  Ezek.  xxvii.  30.     The  inflected  ''IJiJ' 


*  The  LXX.  renders  it :  I  am  like  a  pelican  of  the  desert,  I  am  become 
as  a  night-raven  upon  a  ruined  place  (o/x.oxsB«).  In  harmony  with  the 
LXX.,  Saadia  (as  also  the  Arabic  version  edited  by  Erpenius,  the  Sama- 
ritan Arabic,  and  Abulwalid)  renders  nxp  by  ji^  (here  and  in  Lev.  xi. 
18,  Deut.  xiv.  17,  Isa.  xxxiv.  17),  and  DID  by  ^y  ;  the  latter  (hum)  is  an 
ouomatopoetic  name  of  the  owl,  and  the  former  (kuk)  does  not  even  sig- 
nify the  owl  or  horned-owl  (although  the  small  horned-owl  is  called 
um  kueik  in  Egypt,  and  in  Africa  ahu  kueik ;  vid.  the  dictionaries  of 
Bocthor  and  Marcel  s.v.  chouette),  but  the  pelican,  the  "long-necked 
water-bird"  (Dauiiri  after  the  lexicon  eZ-' Oia/^  of  Hasan  ben-Mohammed 
el-Saghani).      The  Grseco-Veueta  also  renders  nsp  with   'ttiMkuv, — the 

Peshito,  however,  with   \^lO.     What  Ephrem  on  Deut.  xiv.  17  and  the 

Pkysivlogus  Syriis  (ed.  Tychscn,  p.  13,  cf.  pp.  110  sq.)  say  of  j-Q  O,  viz. 
that  it  is  a  marsh-bird,  is  very  fond  of  its  young  ones,  dwells  in  desolate 
places,  and  is  incessantly  noisy,  likewise  points  to  the  pelican,  although  the 
Syrian  lexicographers  vary.  Cf.  also  Oedmann,  Vcrmischte  Saviinlungcn, 
Heft  o,  Cap.  G.     (Fleischer  after  a  communication  from  Kddiger.) 


PSALM  CII.  13-18.  115 

lias  IISlJ' =  l^iJC'  for  its  principal  form,  instead  of  wliich  it  is  ''?'^' 
in  Hos.  ii.  7.  "  That  Thou  hast  Hfted  me  up  and  cast  me  down" 
is  to  be  understood  according  to  Job  xxx.  22.  First  of  all  God 
has  taken  away  the  firm  ground  from  under  his  feet,  then  from 
aloft  He  has  cast  him  to  the  ground — an  emblem  of  the  lot  of 
Israel,  which  is  removed  from  its  fatherland  and  cast  into 
exile,  i.e.  into  a  strange  land.  In  that  passage  the  days  of 
his  life  are  ^^^^  ''?>3,  like  a  lengthened  shadow,  which  grows 
longer  and  longer  until  it  is  entirely  lost  in  darkness,  cix.  23. 
Another  figure  follows  :  he  there  becomes  like  an  (uprooted) 
plant  which  dries  up. 

Vers.  13-15.  AViien  the  church  in  its  individual  members 
dies  off  on  a  foreign  soil,  still  its  God,  the  unchangeable  One, 
remains,  and  therein  the  promise  has  the  guarantee  of  its  ful- 
filment. Faith  lays  hold  upon  this  guarantee  as  in  Ps.  xc.  It 
becomes  clear  from  ix.  8  and  Lam.  v.  19  how  3;j'ri  is  to  be 
understood.  The  Name  which  Jahve  makes  Himself  by  self- 
attestation  never  falls  a  prey  to  the  dead  past,  it  is  His  ever- 
living  memorial  ("i3.f,  Ex.  iii.  15).  Thus,  too,  will  He  restore 
Jerusalem  ;  the  limit,  or  appointed  time,  to  whicli  the  promise 
points  is,  as  his  longing  tells  the  poet,  now  come.  iJ^i^,  accord- 
ing to  Ixxv.  3,  Hab.  ii.  3,  is  the  juncture,  when  the  redemption 
by  means  of  the  judgment  on  the  enemies  of  Israel  shall  dawn. 
'■^j;n^,  from  the  infinitive  i?n,  has  ^,  flattened  from  a,  in  an 
entirely  closed  syllable.  n\n  seq.  ace.  signifies  to  have  pleasure 
in  anything,  to  cling  to  it  with  delight ;  and  ]pp,  according  to 
Prov.  xiv.  21,  affirms  a  compassionate,  tender  love  of  the  object. 
Tiie  servants  of  God  do  not  feel  at  home  in  Babylon,  but  their 
loving  yearning  lingers  over  the  ruins,  the  stones  and  the  heaps 
of  the  rubbish  (Neh.  iii.  34  [iv.  2]),  of  Jerusalem. 

Vers.  16-18.  With  ^NT^i  we  are  told  what  will  take  place 
when  that  which  is  expected  in  ver.  14  comes  to  pass,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  fulfilment  of  that  which  is  longed  for  is 
thereby  urged  home  upon  God  :  Jahve's  own  honour  depends 
upon  it,  since  the  restoration  of  Jerusalem  will  become  the 
means  of  the  conversion  of  the  world — a  fundamental  thought 
of  Isa.  ch.  xl.-lxvi.  (cf.  more  particularly  ch.  lix.  19,  Ix.  2), 
which  is  also  called  to  mind  in  the  expression  of  this  strophe. 
This  prophetic  prospect  (Isa.  xl.  1-5)  that  the  restoration  of 
Jerusalem   will    take    place    simultaneously  with  the  glorious 


116  PSALM  CII.  19-29. 

pai'usia  of  Jalive  re-echoes  here  in  a  lyric  form.  ""S,  ver.  17, 
states  the  ground  of  the  reverence,  just  as  ver.  20  the  ground 
of  the  praise.  Tlie  people  of  the  Exile  are  called  in  ver.  18 
"lyiyHj  from  "n.y,  to  be  naked :  homeless,  powerless,  honourless, 
and  in  the  eyes  of  men,  prospectless.  The  LXX.  renders  this 
word  in  Jer.  xvii.  6  aypiof^vpUrj^  and  its  plural,  formed  by  an 
internal  change  of  vowel,  ""ViiV.,  in  Jer.  xlviii.  6  6vo<i  aypio^, 
which  are  only  particularizations  of  the  primary  notion  of  that 
which  is  stark  naked,  neglected,  wild.  Ver.  18^  is  an  echo  of 
Ps.  xxii.  25.  In  the  mirror  of  this  and  of  other  Psalms  written 
in  times  of  affliction  the  Israel  of  the  Exile  saw  itself  reflected. 

Vers.  19-23.  The  poet  goes  on  advancing  motives  to 
Jahve  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  desire,  by  holding  up  to  Him 
what  will  take  place  when  He  shall  have  restored  Zion.  The 
evangel  of  God's  redemptive  deed  will  be  written  down  for 
succeeding  generations,  and  a  new,  created  people,  i.e.  a  people 
coming  into  existence,  the  church  of  the  future,  shall  praise 
God  the  Eedeemer  for  it.  li"in>?  "in  as  in  xlviii.  14,  Ixxviii.  4. 
J<"in3  DJ?  like  ''piJ  Dy  xxii.  32,  perhaps  with  reference  to  deutero- 
Isaianic  passages  like  Isa.  xliii.  7.  On  ver.  20,  cf.  Isa.  Ixhi. 
15  ;  in  ver.  21  (cf.  Isa.  xlii.  7,  Ixi.  1)  the  deutero-Isaianic 
colouring  is  very  evident.  And  ver.  21  rests  still  more  ver- 
bally upon  Ixxix.  11.  The  people  of  the  Exile  are  as  it  were 
in  prison  and  chains  ("'"'P^'),  and  are  advancing  towards  their 
destruction  (nnvon  ''p2),  if  God  does  not  interpose.  Those  who 
have  returned  home  are  the  subject  to  ij??^.  2  in  ver.  23  in- 
troduces that  which  takes  place  simultaneously  :  with  the  release 
of  Israel  from  servitude  is  united  the  conversion  of  the  world. 
fSpJ  occurs  in  the  same  connection  as  in  Isa.  Ix.  4.  After 
having  thus  revelled  in  the  glory  of  the  time  of  redemption  the 
poet  comes  back  to  himself  and  gives  form  to  his  prayer  on  his 
own  behalf. 

Vers.  24-29.  On  the  way  (3  as  in  ex.  7) — not  "  by  means 
of  the  way"  (n  as  in  cv.  18),  in  connection  with  which  one 
would  expect  to  find  some  attributive  minuter  definition  of  the 
way — God  hath  bowed  down  his  strength  (cf.  Deut.  viii.  2)  ;  it 
was  therefore  a  troublous,  toilsome  way  which  he  has  been  led, 
together  with  his  people.  He  has  shortened  his  days,  so  that 
he  only  drags  on  wearily,  and  has  only  a  short  distance  still 
before  him  before  he  is  entirely  overcome.     The  Chcthih  inD 


PSALM  CII.  21-29.  117 

(LXX.  l(T')(yo'i  avTov)  may  be  understood  of  God's  irresistible 
might,  as  in  Job  xxiii.  6,  xxx.  18,  but  in  connection  with  it 
the  designation  of  tlie  object  is  felt  to  be  wanting.  The  intro- 
ductory ION  (cf.  Job  X.  2),  which  announces  a  definite  mould- 
ing of  the  utterance,  serves  to  give  prominence  to  the  petition 
that  follows.  In  the  expression  "•p./'V^'/'Nl  life  is  conceived  of  as 
a  line  the  length  of  which  accords  with  nature  ;  to  die  before 
one's  time  is  a  being  taken  up  out  of  this  course,  so  that  the 
second  half  of  the  line  is  not  lived  through  (Iv.  24,  Isa.  xxxviii. 
10).  The  prayer  not  to  sweep  him  away  before  his  time,  the 
poet  supports  not  by  the  eternity  of  God  in  itself,  but  by  the 
work  of  the  rejuvenation  of  the  world  and  of  the  restoration 
of  Israel  that  is  to  be  looked  for,  which  He  can  and  will  bring 
to  an  accomplishment,  because  He  is  the  ever-living  One. 
The  longing  to  see  this  new  time  is  the  final  ground  of  the 
poet's  prayer  for  the  prolonging  of  his  life.  The  confession  of 
God  the  Creator  in  ver.  2Q  reminds  one  in  its  form  of  Isa. 
xlviii.  13,  cf.  xliv.  24.  ^^[}  in  ver.  27  refers  to  the  two  great 
divisions  of  the  universe.  Tlie  fact  that  God  will  create  heaven 
and  earth  anew  is  a  revelation  that  is  indicated  even  in  Isa. 
xxxiv.  4,  but  is  first  of  all  expressed  more  fully  and  in  many 
ways  in  the  second  part  of  the  Book  of  Isaiah,  viz.  li.  6,  16, 
Ixv.  17,  Ixvi.  22.  It  is  clear  from  the  agreement  in  the  figure 
of  the  garment  (Isa.  li.  6,  cf.  1.  9)  and  in  the  expression  ("^^V, 
perstare,  as  in  Isa.  Ixvi.  22)  that  the  poet  has  gained  this  know- 
ledge from  the  prophet.  The  expressive  t<^'i  ~^^?,  Thou  art 
He,  i.e.  unalterably  the  same  One,  is  also  taken  from  the  mouth 
of  the  prophet,  Isa.  xli.  4,  xliii.  10,  xlvi.  4,  xlviii.  12  ;  N^n  is  a 
predicate,  and  denotes  the  identity  (sameness)  of  Jahve  (Hof- 
mann,  Sclmfibeweis,  i.  63).  In  ver.  29  also,  in  which  the  prayer 
for  a  lengthening  of  life  tapers  off  to  a  point,  we  hear  Isa.  Ixv. 
9,  Ixvi.  22  re-echoed.  And  from  the  fact  that  in  the  mind  of 
the  poet  as  of  the  prophet  the  post-exilic  Jerusalem  and  the 
final  new  Jerusalem  upon  the  new  earth  under  a  new  heaven 
blend  together,  it  is  evident  that  not  merely  in  the  time  of 
Hezekiah  or  of  Manasseh  (assuming  that  Isa.  cli.  xl.-lxvi.  are 
by  the  old  Isaiah),  but  also  even  in  the  second  half  of  the  Exile, 
such  a  perspectively  foreshortened  view  was  possible.  "When, 
moreover,  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  at  once 
refers  vers.  26-28  to  Christ,  this  is  justified  by  the  fact  that 


11^  PSALM  cm. 

the  God  whom  the  poet  confesses  as  the  unchangeable  One  is 
Jahve  Avho  is  to  come. 


PSALM    CIII. 

HYMN  IN  HONOUR  OF  GOD  THE  ALL-COMPASSIONATE  ONE. 

1  BLESS,  O  my  sou],  Jahve, 

And  all  that  is  within  me,  His  holy  Name. 

2  Bless,  O  my  soul,  Jahve, 

And  forget  not  all  His  benefits — 

ii   Who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniquity, 

Wlio  healeth  all  thine  infirmities, 

4  Who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  the  pit, 

Who    crowneth    thee   with    loving-kindness    and   tender 

5  Who  satisfieth  thy  rnouth  with  good,  [mercies, 
So  that  thy  youth  renews  itself  like  the  eagle. 

6  Deeds  of  righteousness  doth  Jahve  perform, 

And  judgments  on  behalf  of  all  that  are  oppressed. 

7  He  made  known  His  ways  unto  Moses, 
To  the  children  of  Israel  Plis  mighty  acts. 

8  Merciful  and  gracious  is  Jahve, 
Slow  to  anger  and  plenteous  in  mercy. 

9  Not  always  doth  He  contend, 

And  not  for  ever  doth  He  keep  anger. 

10  He  doth  not  deal  with  us  after  our  sins, 
Nor  recompense  us  after  our  iniquities. 

11  For  as  the  heaven  is  high  above  the  earth. 

So  mighty  is  His  mercy  upon  those  who  fear  Him. 

12  As  far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west. 

So  far  doth  He  remove  our  transgressions  from  us. 

13  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children, 
So  Jahve  pitieth  those  who  fear  Him, 

14  For  He  knoweth  our  nature, 
He  is  mindful,  that  we  are  dust. 

15  A  mortal  man — his  days  are  as  grass. 

As  a  flower  of  the  field,  so  he  flourisheth. 


PSALM  cm.  119 

16  If  the  wind  passetli  over  liim,  he  is  not, 
And  his  phxce  knoweth  him  no  more. 

17  But  the  mercy  of  Jahve  is  from  everhisting  to  everlasting 

upon  those  who  fear  Iliin, 
And  His  righteousness  is  manifested  to  children's  children, 

18  To  those  who  keep  His  covenant 

And  are  mindful  of  His  statutes  to  do  them. 

19  Jahve  liath  established  His  throne  in  the  heavens, 
And  His  kingdom  ruletli  over  all. 

20  Bless  Jahve,  ye  His  angels. 

Ye  strong  heroes  doing  His  word, 
Hearkening  to  the  call  of  Plis  word. 

21  Bless  Jahve,  all  ye  His  hosts. 
His  servants  doing  His  pleasure. 

22  Bless  Jahve,  all  ye  His  works. 
In  all  places  of  His  dominion. 
Bless,  O  my  soul,  Jahve ! 

To  the  "  Thou  lo'dt  have  compassion  upon  Zion''^  of  cii.  14 
is  appended  Ps.  ciii.,  which  has  this  as  its  substance  through- 
out ;  but  in  other  respects  the  two  Psalms  stand  in  contrast  to 
one  another.  The  inscription  111?  is  also  found  thus  by  itself 
without  any  further  addition  even  before  Psalms  of  the  First 
Book  (xxvi.-xxviii.,  xxxv.,  xxxvii.).  It  undoubtedly  does  not 
rest  merely  on  conjecture,  but  upon  tradition.  For  no  internal 
grounds  which  might  have  given  rise  to  the  annotation  Trh  can 
be  traced.  The  form  of  the  language  does  not  favour  it.  This 
pensive  song,  so  powerful  in  its  tone,  has  an  Aramaic  colouring 
like  Ps.  cxvi.,  cxxiv.,  cxxix.  In  the  heaping  up  of  Aramaizing 
suffix-forms  it  has  its  equal  only  in  the  story  of  Elisha,  2  Kings 
iv.  1-7,  where,  moreover,  the  Keri  throughout  substitutes  the 
usual  forms,  whilst  here,  where  these  suffix-forms  are  inten- 
tional ornaments  of  the  expression,  the  Chethlb  rightly  remains 
unaltered.  The  forms  are  2tZ  sing.  fern,  echi  for  ech,  and  2d  siui/. 
plur.  djchi  for  ajich.  The  i  without  the  tone  which  is  added 
here  is  just  the  one  with  which  originally  the  pronunciation 
was  "nx  instead  of  ni«:  and  '3^  for  ^^.  Out  of  the  Psalter  (hero 
and  cxvi.  7,  19)  these  suffix-forms  echi  and  ajchi  occur  only  iu 


120  PSALM  cm.  1-5. 

Jer.  xi.  15,  and  in  the  North-Palestinian  history  of  the  prophet 
in  the  Book  of  Kings. 

The  groups  or  strophes  into  which  the  Psalm  falls  are  vers. 
1-5,  6-10,  11-14,  15-18,  19-22.  If  we  count  their  lines  we 
obtain  the  schema  10. 10.  8.  8. 10.  The  Coptic  version  accord- 
ingly reckons  46  CTYXOC,  i.e.  o-ti'^ol. 

Vers.  1-5.  In  the  strophe  vers.  1-5  the  poet  calls  upon 
his  soul  to  arise  to  praiseful  gratitude  for  God's  justifying,  re- 
deeming, and  renewing  grace.  In  such  soliloquies  it  is  the 
Ego  that  speaks,  gathering  itself  up  with  the  spirit,  the  stronger, 
more  manly  part  of  man  {Psychology^  S.  104  sq. ;  tr.  p.  126), 
or  even,  because  the  soul  as  the  spiritual  medium  of  the  spirit 
and  of  the  body  represents  the  whole  person  of  man  {Psycho- 
logy, S.  203 ;  tr.  p.  240),  the  Ego  rendering  objective  in  the 
soul  the  whole  of  its  own  personality.  So  here  in  vers.  3-5  the 
soul,  which  is  addressed,  represents  the  whole  man.  The  t3''2"ii? 
which  occurs  here  is  a  more  choice  expression  for  Q''yp  (^^V?)  : 
the  heart,  which  is  called  S^i^  Kar  i^oxW)  the  reins,  the  livei', 
etc. ;  for  according  to  the  scriptural  conception  (Psychology, 
S.  266 ;  tr.  p.  313)  these  organs  of  the  cavities  of  the  breast 
and  abdomen  serve  not  merely  for  the  bodily  life,  but  also  the 
psycho-spiritual  life.  The  summoning  ''3"]3  is  repeated  per  ana- 
ph'oram.  There  is  nothing  the  soul  of  man  is  so  prone  to  forget 
as  to  render  thanks  that  are  due,  and  more  especially  thanks 
that  are  due  to  God.  It  therefore  needs  to  be  expressly  aroused 
in  order  that  it  may  not  leave  the  blessing  with  which  God 
blesses  it  unacknowledged,  and  may  not  forget  all  His  acts 
performed  (7»3  =n»|)  on  it  (/^^^^.^  prjfia  fieaov,  e.g.  in  cxxxvii.  8), 
which  are  purely  deeds  of  loving-kindness  (benefits).  Now 
follow  attributive  participles,  which  attach  themselves  to  ''TjI^*. 
Most  prominent  stands  mercy  (loving-kindness),  which  is  tiie 
primal  condition  and  the  foundation  of  all  the  others,  viz.  sin- 
pardoning  mercy.  The  verbs  npD  and  J<QT  with  a  dative  of  the 
object  denote  the  bestowment  of  that  which  is  expressed  by 
the  verbal  notion.  D''Nii'nri  (taken  from  Deut.  xxix.  21,  of. 
1  Chron.  xxi.  19,  from  N?n  =  n7n,  root  ^n,  solutum,  laxum  esse) 
are  not  merely  bodily  diseases,  but  all  kinds  of  inward  and  out- 
ward sufferings.  PntJ'p  the  LXX.  renders  e'«  (})6opa<i  (from 
nnK',  as  in  Job  xvii.  14) ;  but  in  this  antithesis  to  life  it  is  more 


PSALM  cm.  G-10.  121 

natural  to  render  the  "pit"  (from  nvj')  as  a  name  of  Ilailes, 
as  in  xvi.  10.  Just  as  the  soul  owes  its  deliverance  from  guilt 
and  distress  and  death  to  God,  so  also  does  it  owe  to  God  that 
with  -which  it  is  endowed  out  of  the  riches  of  divine  love.  The 
verb  itsy,  without  any  such  addition  as  in  v.  13,  is  "  to  crown," 
cf.  viii.  6.  As  is  usually  the  case,  it  is  construed  with  a  double 
accusative  ;  tlie  crown  is  as  it  were  woven  out  of  loving- 
kindness  and  compassion.  The  Beth  of  2ii33  in  ver.  5  instead 
of  the  accusative  (civ.  28)  denotes  the  means  of  satisfaction, 
which  is  at  the  same  time  that  which  satisfies.  "^""^V  the  Tar- 
gum  renders :  dies  senectutis  tua',  whereas  in  xxxii.  9  it  has 
ornatiis  ejus ;  the  Peshito  renders  :  corpus  tnum,  and  in  xxxii. 
i)  \\\\qv&q\j,  juventus  eorum.  These  significations,  "old  age" 
or  "youth,"  are  pure  inventions.  And  since  the  words  are 
addressed  to  the  soul,  ''"ly  canno^t  also,  like  1133  in  other  instances, 
be  a  name  of  the  soul  itself  (Aben-Ezra,  Mendelssohn,  Philipp- 
sohn,  Hengstenberg,  and  others).  We,  therefore,  with  Hitzig, 
fall  back  upon  the  sense  of  the  word  in  xxxii.  9,  where  the 
LXX.  renders  ra?  aca>yuva<i  avrcav,  but  here  more  freely,  ap- 
parently starting  from  the  primary  notion  of  ny  =  Arabic 
chadJ,  the  cheek :  tov  iixTnifkoivra  iv  ayaOol';  ti]v  i-mdv/xiav 
aov  (whereas  Saadia's  victum  tuum  is  based  upon  a  comparison 

of  the  Arabic  ij^i,  to'  nourish).     The  poet  tells  the  soul  {i.e.  his 

own  person,  himself)  that  God  satisfies  it  with  good,  so  that  it 
as  it  were  gets  its  cheeks  full  of  it  (cf.  Ixxxi.  11).  The  com- 
parison ')t^'3^  is,  as  in  Mic.  i.  16  (cf.  Isa.  xl.  31),  to  be  referred 
to  the  annual  moulting  of  the  eagle.  Its  renewing  of  its 
])lumage  is  an  emblem  of  the  renovation  of  his  youth  by  grace. 
The  predicate  to  ''^^.'^ly^  (plural  of  extension  in  relation  to  time) 
stands  first  regularly  in  the  sing.  fern. 

Vers.  6-10.  His  range  of  vision  being  widened  from  him- 
self, the  poet  now  in  vers.  6-18  describes  God's  gracious  and 
fatherly  conduct  towards  sinful  and  perishing  men,  and  that  as 
it  shines  forth  from  the  history  of  Israel  and  is  known  and  re- 
cognised in  the  light  of  revelation.  What  ver.  6  says  is  a 
common-place  drawn  from  the  history  of  Israel.  ^''^S'J'p  is  an 
accusative  governed  by  the  ^fV  that  is  to  be  borrowed  out  of 
nb'y  (so  Baer  after  the  Masora).  And  because  ver.  6  is  the 
result  of  au  historical  retrospect  and  survey,  y'li'  iu  ver.  7  can 


122  PSALM  cm.  11-14. 

tiffirm  that  which  l)appened  in  the  past  (cf.  xcix.  6  sq.)  ;  for 
tlie  supposition  of  Hengstenberg  and  Ilitzig,  that  Moses  here 
represents  Israel  hke  Jacob,  Isaac,  and  Joseph  in  other  instances, 
is  without  example  in  the  whole  Israelitish  literature.  It  be- 
comes clear  from  ver.  8  in  what  sense  the  making  of  His  ways 
known  is  meant.  The  poet  has  in  his  mind  Moses'  prayer : 
"make  known  to  me  now  Thy  way"  (Ex.  xxxiii.  13),  which 
Jahve  fulfilled  by  passing  by  him  as  he  stood  in  the  cleft  of 
the  rock  and  making  Himself  visible  to  him  as  he  looked  after 
Him,  amidst  the  proclamation  of  His  attributes.  The  ways  of 
Jahve  are  therefore  in  this  passage  not  those  in  which  men  are 
to  walk  in  accordance  with  His  precepts  (xxv,  4),  but  those 
which  He  Himself  follows  in  the  course  of  His  redemptive 
history  (Ixvii.  3).  The  confession  drawn  from  Ex.  xxxiv.  6  sq. 
is  become  a  formula  of  the  Israelitish  faith  (Ixxxvi.  15,  cxlv.  8, 
Joel  ii.  13,  Neh.  ix.  17,  and  frequently).  In  vers.  9  sqq.  the 
fourth  attribute  (*ipn"2"]1)  is  made  the  object  of  further  praise. 
He  is  not  only  long  {JT}^  from  T}j^,  like  133  from  133)  in  anger, 
i.e.  waiting  a  long  time  before  He  lets  His  anger  loose,  but 
when  He  contends,  i.e.  interposes  judicially,  this  too  is  not 
carried  to  the  full  extent  (Ixxviii.  38),  He  is  not  angry  for 
ever  (1^3,  to  keep,  viz.  anger,  Amos  i.  11 ;  cf.  the  parallels 
both  as  to  matter  and  words,  Jer.  iii.  5,  Isa.  Ivii.  16).  The 
procedure  of  His  rio-liteousness  is  regulated  not  accordino;  to 

1  O  O  o 

our  sins,  but  according  to  His  purpose  of  mercy.  The  per- 
fects in  ver.  10  state  that  which  God  has  constantly  not  done, 
and  the  futures  in  ver.  9  what  He  continually  will  not  do. 

Vers.  11-14.  The  ingenious  figures  in  vers.  11  sq.  (cf. 
xxxvi.  6,  Ivii.  11)  illustrate  the  infinite  power  and  complete 
unreservedness  of  mercy  (loving-kindness).  P''0"![?  has  Gaja 
(as  have  also  in'^n'^n  and  "i3^J?nn,  xiv.  1,  liii.  2,  in  exact  texts), 
in  order  to  render  possible  the  distinct  pronunciation  of  the 
guttural  in  the  combination  m.  Ver.  13  sounds  just  as  much 
like  the  spirit  of  the  New  Testament  as  vers.  11,  12.  The  re- 
lationship to  Jahve  in  which  those  stand  who  fear  Him  is  a 
filial  relationship  based  upon  free  reciprocity  (Mai.  iii.  11). 
His  Fatherly  compassion  is  (ver.  14)  based  upon  the  frailty 
and  perishableness  of  man,  which  are  known  to  God,  much  the 
same  as  God's  promise  after  the  Flood  not  to  decree  a  like 
judgment  again   (Gen.  viii.  21).     According  to  this  passage 


rsAi.M  ciir.  15-13.  123 

and  Deut.  xxxi.  21,  iJiyi  appears  to  be  intended  of  the  moral 
nature  ;  but  according  to  ver.  146,  one  is  obliged  to  think  rather 
of  tlie  natural  form  which  man  possesses  from  God  the  Creator 
0T%  Gen.  ii.  7)  than  of  the  form  of  heart  which  he  has  by  his 
own  choice  and,  so  far  as  its  groundwork  is  concerned,  by  in- 
heritance (li.  7).  In  il^Tj  mindful,  the  passive,  according  to 
Bottcher's  correct  apprehension  of  it,  expresses  a  passive  state 
after  an  action  that  is  completed  by  tiie  person  himself,  as  in 
n^D3,  yn^^,  and  the  like.  In  its  form  ver.  14a  reminds  one  of 
the  Book  of  Job  ch.  xi.  11,  xxviii.  23,  and  ver.  14i^  as  to  sub- 
ject-matter recalls  Job  vii.  7,  and  other  passages  (cf.  Ps.  Ixxviii. 
39,  Ixxxix.  48)  ;  but  the  following  figurative  representation  of 
human  frailty,  with  which  the  poet  contrasts  the  eternal  nature 
of  the  divine  mercy  as  the  sure  stay  of  all  God-fearing  ones 
in  the  midst  of  the  rise  and  decay  of  things  here  below,  still 
more  strongly  recalls  that  book. 

Vers.  15-18.  The  figure  of  the  grass  recalls  xc.  5  sq., 
cf.  Isa.  xl,  6-8,  li.  12  ;  that  of  the  flower,  Job  xiv.  2.  B'iiX  is 
man  as  a  mortal  being  ;  his  life's  duration  is  likened  to  that  of 
a  blade  of  grass,  and  his  beauty  and  glory  to  a  flower  of  the 
field,  whose  fullest  bloom  is  also  the  beginning  of  its  fading. 
In  ver.  16  13  (the  same  as  in  Isa.  xl.  7  sq.)  refers  to  man,  who 
is  compared  to  grass  and  flowers.  '3  is  idv  with  a  hypothetical 
perfect ;  and  the  wind  that  scorches  up  the  plants,  referred  to 
man,  is  an  emblem  of  every  form  of  peril  that  threatens  life  : 
often  enough  it  is  really  a  breath  of  wind  which  snaps  off  a 
man's  life.  The  bold  designation  of  vanishing  away  without 
leaving  any  trace,  "  and  his  place  knoweth  him  no  more,"  is 
taken  from  Job  vii.  10,  cf.  ibid.  viii.  18,  xx.  9.  In  the  midst 
of  this  plant-like,  frail  destiny,  there  is,  however,  one  strong 
ground  of  comfort.  There  is  an  everlasting  power,  which 
raises  all  those  who  link  themselves  with  it  above  the  transi- 
toriness  involved  in  nature's  laws,  and  makes  them  eternal  like 
itself.  This  power  is  the  mercy  of  God,  which  spans  itself 
above  {bv)  all  those  who  fear  Him  like  an  eternal  heaven. 
This  is  God's  righteousness,  which  rewards  faithful  adherence 
to  His  covenant  and  conscientious  fulfilment  of  His  precepts 
in  accordance  with  the  order  of  redemption,  and  shows  itself 
even  to  (?)  children's  children,  according  to  Ex.  xx.  6,  xxxiv. 
7,  Deut.  vii.  9  :  on  into  a  thousand  generations,  i.e.  into  infinity. 


124  PSALM  cm.  19-22. 

Vers.  19-22.  He  is  able  to  show  Himself  thus  gracious  to 
His  own,  for  He  is  the  supra-mundane,  all-ruling  King.  "With 
this  thought  the  poet  draws  on  to  the  close  of  his  song  of  praise. 
The  heavens  in  opposition  to  the  earth,  as  in  cv.  7,  Ect^les.  v.  1 
[2],  is  the  unchangeable  realm  above  the  rise  and  fall  of  things 
here  below.  On  ver.  l^b  of.  1  Chron.  xxix.  12.  ?33  refers  to 
everything  created  without  exception,  the  universe  of  created 
things.  In  connection  with  the  heavens  of  glory  the  poet 
cannot  but  call  to  mind  the  angels.  His  call  to  these  to  join 
in  the  praise  of  Jahve  has  its  parallel  only  in  Ps.  xxix.  and 
cxlviii.  It  arises  from  the  consciousness  of  the  church  on 
earth  that  it  stands  in  living  like-minded  fellowship  with  the 
angels  of  God,  and  that  it  possesses  a  dignity  which  rises  above 
all  created  things,  even  the  angels  which  are  appointed  to  serve 
it  (xci.  11).  They  are  called  D"'')'35  as  in  Joel  iv.  [iii.]  11,  and 
in  fact  nb  '''}^^,  as  the  strong  to  whom  belongs  strength  un- 
equalled. Their  life  endowed  with  heroic  strength  is  spent 
entirely — an  example  for  atiortals — in  an  obedient  execution  of 
the  word  of  God.  VbK^p  is  a  definition  not  of  the  purpose,  but 
of  the  manner :  ohediendo  (as  in  Gen.  ii.  3  perjiciendo).  Hear- 
ing the  call  of  His  word,  they  also  forthwith  put  it  into  exe- 
cution. The  hosts  (V^nv),  as  1''nr|ti'0  shows,  are  the  celestial 
spirits  gathered  around  the  angels  of  a  higher  rank  (cf.  Luke 
ii.  13),  the  innumerable  XeirovpyLKa  -jrvev/xara  {civ.  4,  Dan.  vii. 
10,  Heb.  i.  14),  for  there  is  a  Iderarcliia  coelestis.  From  the 
archangels  the  poet  comes  to  the  myriads  of  the  heavenly 
hosts,  and  from  these  to  all  creatures,  that  they,  wheresoever 
they  may  be  throughout  Jahve's  wide  domain,  may  join  in  the 
song  of  praise  that  is  to  be  struck  up  ;  and  from  this  point  he 
comes  back  to  his  own  soul,  which  he  modestly  includes  among 
the  creatures  mentioned  in  the  third  passage.  A  threefold 
*C'S3  ''3^3  now  corresponds  to  the  threefold  l^ris ;  and  inasmuch 
as  the  poet  thus  comes  back  to  his  own  soul,  his  Psalm  also 
turns  back  into  itself  and  assumes  the  form  of  a  converging 
circle. 


PSALM  CIV.  12  J 

PSALM    CIY. 

II Y JIN  IN  HONOUR  OF  THE  GOD  OF  THE  SEVEN  DAYS. 

1  BLESS,  O  my  soul,  Jalive  ! 
Jahve,  my  God,  Thou  art  very  great, 

In  splendour  and  glory  hast  Thou  clothed  Thyself ; 

2  Enwrapping  Thyself  in  light  as  a  garment, 
Spreading  out  the  heavens  like  a  tent-cloth, 

3  Wiio  layeth  the  beams  of  His  chambers  in  the  waters, 
Who  maketh  the  clouds  His  chariot, 

Who  walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind, 

4  Making  His  messengers  out  of  the  winds, 
His  servants  out  of  flaming  fire. 

5  He  hath  founded  the  earth  upon  its  pillars, 
That  it  may  not  totter  for  ever  and  ever. 

G  The  deep  as  a  garment  didst  Thou  cover  over  it, 
Upon  the  mountains  stood  the  waters. 

7  At  Thy  rebuke  they  fled, 

At  the  voice  of  Tliy  thunder  they  liasted  away — 

8  The  mountains  rose,  the  valleys  sank — 

To  the  place  which  Thou  hast  founded  for  them, 

9  A  bound  hast  Thou  set,  they  may  not  pass  over. 
They  may  not  turn  back  to  cover  the  earth. 

10  Who    sendeth    forth    springs    in    the   bottoms    of    the 

valleys, 
Between  the  mountains  they  take  their  course. 

11  Tiiey  give  drink  to  all  the  beasts  of  the  field, 
The  wild  asses  quench  their  thirst. 

12  Upon  them  the  birds  of  the  heaven  have  their  hiiVi- 

tation, 
From  among  the  branches  they  raise  their  voice. 

13  He  watereth  the  mountains  out  of  His  chambers — 
With  the  fruit  of  Thy  works  is  the  earth  satisfied. 

14  He  causeth  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle, 
And  herb  for  the  service  of  man — 


126  PSALM  CIV. 

To  bring  forth  bread  out  of  the  earth, 

15  And  that  wine  may  make  glad  the  heart  of  mortal  man, 
To  make  his  face  shining  from  oil, 

And  that  bread  may  support  the  heart  of  mortal  man. 

16  The  trees  of  Jahve  are  satisfied. 

The  cedars  of  Lebanon,  which  He  hath  planted  ; 

17  Where  the  birds  make  their  nests, 

The  stork  which  hath  its  house  upon  the  cypresses, 

18  Mountains,  the  high  ones,  are  for  the  wild  goats, 
The  rocks  are  a  refuge  for  the  rock-badgers. 

19  Pie  hath  made  the  moon  for  a  measuring  of  the  times, 
The  sun  knoweth  its  going  down. 

20  Thou  makest  darkness,  and  it  is  night, 
Wherein  all  the  beasts  of  the  forest  do  move. 

21  The  young  lions  roar  after  their  prey, 
And  seek  from  God  their  food. 

22  The  sun  ariseth,  they  retreat 

And  lay  themselves  down  in  their  dens. 

23  Man  goeth  forth  to  his  work, 

And  to  his  labour,  until  the  evening. 

24  How  manifold  are  Thy  works,  Jahve, 

"  With  wisdom  hast  Thou  executed  them  altogether, 
The  earth  is  full  of  Thy  creatures  ! 

25  Yonder  sea,  great  and  far  extended — 
There  it  teems  with  life,  innumerable, 
Small  beasts  together  with  great. 

2Q  There  the  ships  move  along. 

The    leviathan   which    Thou    hast   formed    to    sporfc 
therein. 

27  They  all  wait  upon  Thee, 

That  Thou  mayest  give  them  their  food  in  its  season. 

28  Thou  givest  it  to  them,  they  gather  it  up ; 

Thou  openest  Thy  hand,  they  are  satisfied  with  good. 

29  Thou  hidest  Thy  face,  they  are  troubled ; 
Thou  takest  back  their  breath,  they  expire, 
And  return  to  their  dust. 

?)0  Thou  scndest  forth  Thy  breath,  they  are  created, 
And  Thou  renewest  the  face  of  the  ci'ound. 


PSALM  CIV.  127 

31  Let  the  glory  of  Jahve  endure  for  ever, 
Let  Jahve  rejoice  in  His  works  ; 

32  He,  who  looketh  on  the  earth  and  it  trembleth, 
He  toucheth  the  mountains  and  they  smoke. 

33  I  will  sing  unto  Jahve  as  long  as  I  live, 

I  will  harp  unto  my  God  as  long  as  I  have  my  being. 

34  May  my  meditation  be  acceptable  to  Him, 
I,  even  I  will  rejoice  in  Jahve. 

35  Let  the  sinful  disappear  from  the  earth, 
And  evil-doers  be  no  more — 

Bless,  O  my  soul,  Jahve, 
Hallelujah. 

"With  Bless,  0  my  soul,  Jalive,  as  Ps.  ciii.,  begins  this  anony- 
mous Ps.  civ.  also,  in  which  God's  rule  in  the  kingdom  of  nature, 
as  there  in  the  kingdom  of  grace,  is  the  theme  of  praise,  and 
as  there  the  angels  are  associated  with  it.  The  poet  sings  the 
God-ordained  present  condition  of  the  world  with  res])ect  to 
the  creative  beginnings  recorded  in  Gen.  i.  1-ii.  3  ;  and  closes 
with  the  wish  that  evil  may  be  expelled  from  this  good  crea- 
tion, which  so  thoroughly  and  fully  reveals  God's  power,  and 
wisdom,  and  goodness.  It  is  a  Psalm  of  nature,  but  such  as 
no  poet  among  the  Gentiles  could  have  written.  The  Israel- 
itish  poet  stands  free  and  unfettered  in  the  presence  of  nature 
as  his  object,  and  all  things  appear  to  him  as  brought  forth  and 
sustained  by  the  creative  might  of  the  one  God,  brought  into 
being  and  preserved  in  existence  on  purpose  that  He,  the  self-^ 
sufficient  One,  may  impart  Himself  in  free  condescending  love 
— as  the  creatures  and  orders  of  the  Holy  One,  in  themselves 
good  and  pure,  but  spotted  and  disorganized  only  by  the  self- 
corruption  of  man  in  sin  and  wickedness,  which  self-corruption 
must  be  turned  out  in  order  that  the  joy  of  God  in  His  works 
and  the  joy  of  these  works  in  their  Creator  may  be  perfectetl. 
The  Psalm  is  altogether  an  echo  of  the  heptahemeron  (or 
history  of  the  seven  days  of  creation)  in  Gen.  i.  1-ii.  3.  Cor- 
responding to  the  seven  days  it  falls  into  seven  groups,  in 
which  the  nso  31D"n:n  of  Gen.  i.  31  is  expanded.  It  is  not, 
however,  so  worked  out  that  each  single  group  celebrates  the 
work  of  a  day  of  creation  ;  the  Psalm  has  the  commingling 
whole  of  the  finished  creation  as  its  standpoint,  and  is  there- 


128  PSALM  CIV.  1-4. 

fore  not  so  conformed  to  any  plan.  Nevertheless  it  begins 
with  the  light  and  closes  with  an  allusion  to  the  divine  Sab- 
bath. When  it  is  considered  that  ver.  8a  is  only  with  violence 
accommodated  to  the  context,  that  ver.  18  is  forced  in  without 
any  connection  and  contrary  to  any  plan,  and  that  ver.  32  can 
only  be  made  intelligible  in  that  position  by  means  of  an  arti- 
ficial combination  of  the  thoughts,  then  the  supposition  of 
Hitzig,  ingeniously  wrought  out  by  him  in  his  own  way,  is 
forced  upon  one,  viz.  that  this  glorious  hymn  has  decoyed  some 
later  poet- hand  into  enlarging  upon  it. 

Vers.  1-4.  The  first  decastich  begins  the  celebration  with 
work  of  the  first  and  second  days.  i"ini  lin  here  is  not  the 
doxa  belonging  to  God  Trpo  Travro'i  rov  aloivo<i  (Jude,  ver.  25), 
but  the  doxa  which  He  has  put  on  (Job  xl.  10)  since  He 
created  the  world,  over  against  which  He  stands  in  kingly 
glory,  or  rather  in  which  He  is  immanent,  and  which  reflects 
this  kingly  glory  in  various  gradations,  yea,  to  a  certain  extent 
is  this  glory  itself.  For  inasmuch  as  God  began  the  work  of 
creation  with  the  creation  of  light,  He  has  covered  Himself 
with  this  created  light  itself  as  with  a  garment.  That  which 
once  happened  in  connection  with  the  creation  may,  as  in  Amos 
iv.  13,  Isa.  xliv.  24,  xlv.  7,  Jer.  x.  12,  and  frequently,  be  ex- 
pressed by  participles  of  the  present,  because  the  original  setting 
is  continued  in  the  preservation  of  the  world ;  and  determinate 
participles  alternate  with  participles  without  the  article,  as  in  Isa. 
xliv.  24-28,  with  no  other  difference  than  that  the  former  are 
more  predicative  and  the  latter  more  attributive.  With  ver.  2/> 
the  poet  comes  upon  the  work  of  the  second  day  :  the  creation 
of  the  expanse  (j;''P'i)  which  divides  between  the  waters.  God 
has  spread  this  out  (cf.  Isa.  xl.  22)  like  a  tent-cloth  (Isa.  liv.  2), 
of  such  light  and  of  such  fine  transparent  work  ;  HLDIJ  here 
rhymes  with  nt2y.  In  those  waters  which  the  "  expanse"  holis 
aloft  over  the  earth  God  lays  the  beams  of  His  upper  cham- 
bers (Vrirpi;,  instead  of  which  we  find  vniPVO  in  Amos  ix.  6, 
from  '"i>py,  ascent,  elevation,  then  an  upper  story,  an  upper 
chamber,  which  would  be  more  accurately  H'py  after  the  Ara- 
maic and  Arabic)  ;  but  not  as  though  the  waters  were  the 
material  for  them,  they  are  only  the  place  for  them,  that  is 
fej.alted  above  the  earth,  and  are  able  to  be  this  because  to  the 


PSALM  CIV.  1-4.  129 

Immaterial  One  even  tliat  which  is  fluid  is  solid,  and  that 
which  is  dense  is  transparent.  The  reservoirs  of  the  upper 
waters,  the  clouds,  God  makes,  as  the  lightning,  thunder,  and 
rain  indicate,  into  His  chariot  (^''^l),  upon  which  Pie  ride's 
along  in  order  to  make  His  power  felt  below  upon  the  earth 
judicially  (Isa.  xix.  1),  or  in  rescuing  and  blessing  men.  3^3"! 
(only  here)  accords  in  sound  with  ^ns,  xviii.  11.  For  ver.  3c 
also  recalls  this  primary  passage,  where  the  wings  of  the  wind 
take  the  place  of  the  cloud-chariot.  In  ver.  4  the  LXX. 
(Heb.  i.  7)  makes  the  first  substantive  into  an  accusative  of 
the  object,  and  the  second  into  an  accusative  of  the  predicate  : 
'O  TTOiwv  rov<;  ciyyeXov;  avrov  Trvev/xara  koX  tov<;  XeiTOvpyoi/^ 
avrov  irvpo'i  (pXoja.  It  is  usually  translated  the  reverse  way  : 
making  the  winds  into  His  angels,  etc.  This  rendering  is 
possible  so  far  as  the  language  is  concerned  (cf.  c.  3  ChethW, 
and  on  the  position  of  the  words,  Amos  iv.  13  witli  v.  8),  and 
the  plural  Vnn'^'p  is  explicable  in  connection  with  this  render- 
ing from  the  force  of  the  parallelism,  and  the  singular  K'NI 
from  the  fact  that  this  word  has  no  plural.  Since,  however, 
ncry  with  two  accusatives  usually  signifies  to  produce  something 
out  of  something,  so  that  the  second  accusative  (viz.  the  accu- 
sative of  the  predicate,  which  is  logically  the  second,  but  accord- 
ing to  the  position  of  the  words  may  just  as  well  be  the  first, 
Ex.  XXV.  39,  XXX.  25,  as  the  second,  Ex.  xxxvii.  23,  xxxviii.  3, 
Gen.  ii.  7,  2  Chron.  iv.  18-22)  denotes  the  materia  ex  qua,  it 
may  with  equal  right  at  least  be  interpreted  :  Who  makes  His 
messengers  out  of  the  winds.  His  servants  out  of  flaming  or 
consuming  [vid.  on  Ivii.  5)  fire  (p'^,  as  in  Jer.  xlviii.  45,  masc). 
And  this  may  afiirm  either  that  God  makes  use  of  wind  and 
fire  for  special  missions  (cf.  cxlviii.  8),  or  (cf.  Hofmann, 
Schnftbeweis,  i.  325  f.)  that  He  gives  wind  and  fire  to  His 
angels  for  the  purpose  of  His  operations  in  the  world  which 
are  effected  through  their  agency,  as  the  materials  of  their  out- 
ward manifestation,  and  as  it  were  of  tlieir  self-embodiment,* 
as  then  in  xviii.  11  wind  and  cherub  are  both  to  be  associated 


*  It  is  a  Talmudic  view  that  God  really  makes  the  anf^els  out  of  fire, 
B.  Chagiga,  14a  (cf.  Koran,  xxxviii.  77)  :  Day  by  day  are  the  angels  of  the 
service  created  out  of  the  stream  of  fire  ("I13''T  "ina),  and  sing  their  song 
of  praise  and  perish. 

VOL.  III.  9 


130  VSAUl  CIV.  .j-9. 

together  in  thought  as  the  veliicle  of  the  divine  activity  in  tlie 
world,  and  in  xxxv.  5  the  angel  of  Jahve  represents  the  energy 
of  the  wind. 

Vers.  5-9.  In  a  second  decastich  the  poet  speaks  of  the 
restraining  of  the  lower  waters  and  tlie  establishing  of  the  land 
standing  out  of  the  water.  The  suffix,  referring  back  to  px, 
is  intended  to  say  that  the  earth  hanging  free  in  space  (Job 
xxvi.  7)  has  its  internal  supports.  Its  eternal  stability  is  pre- 
served even  amidst  the  judgment  predicted  in  Isa.  xxiv.  16  sq., 
since  it  comes  forth  out  of  it,  unremoved  from  its  former 
station,  as  a  transformed,  glorified  earth.  The  deep  (Dinri)  with 
which  God  covers  it  is  that  primordial  mass  of  water  in  which 
it  lay  first  of  all  as  it  were  in  embryo,  for  it  came  into  being  e| 
vBaTO<;  KoX  hi  vButos  (2  Pet.  iii.  5).  iri''D3  does  not  refer  to 
Dinn  {masc.  as  in  Job  xxviii.  14),  because  then  nvJ?  would  be 
required,  but  to  pN,  and  the  masculine  is  to  be  explained  either 
by  attraction  (according  to  the  model  of  1  Sam.  ii.  4a),  or  by 
a  reversion  to  the  masculine  ground-form  as  the  discourse  pro- 
ceeds (cf.  the  same  thing  with  "T'V  2  Sam.  xvii.  13,  >^?V'^  Ex.  xi. 
6,  "l^  Ezek.  ii.  9).  According  to  ver.  Gb,  the  earth  thus  over- 
flowed with  water  was  already  mountainous ;  the  primal  for- 
mation of  the  mountains  is  therefore  just  as  old  as  the  Dinn 
mentioned  in  direct  succession  to  the  inai  inn.  After  this,  vers. 
7-9  describe  the  subduing  of  the  primordial  waters  by  raising 
up  the  dry  land  and  the  confining  of  these  waters  in  basins 
surrounded  by  banks.  Terrified  by  the  despotic  command  of 
God,  they  started  asunder,  and  mountains  rose  aloft,  the  dry 
land  with  its  heights  and  its  low  grounds  appeared.  The 
rendering  that  the  waters,  thrown  into  wild  excitement,  rose  up 
the  mountains  and  descended  again  (Hengstenberg),  does  not 
harmonize  with  the  fact  that  they  are  represented  in  ver.  6  as 
standing  above  the  mountains.  Accordingly,  too,  it  is  not  to  be 
interpreted  after  cvii.  20  :  they  (the  waters)  rose  mountain-high, 
they  sunk  down  like  valleys.  The  reference  of  the  description 
to  the  coming  forth  of  the  dry  land  on  the  third  day  of  crea- 
tion requires  that  Cin  should  be  taken  as  subject  to  vr. 
But  then,  too,  the  T\)V?2  are  the  subject  to  111%  as  Hilary  of 
Poictiers  renders  it  in  his  Genesis^  v.  97,  etc. :  subsidunt  valles, 
and  not  the  waters  as  subsiding  into  the  valleys.  Hupfeld  is 
correct ;  ver.  8a  is  a  parenthesis  which  affirms  that,  inasmuch 


rSALM  CIV.  10-14.  131 

as  the  waters  retreating  laid  the  solid  land  bare,  mountains  and 
valleys  as  such  came  forth  visibly  ;  cf.  Ovid,  Metam.  i.  344 : 
Flumina  subsidunt,  monies  exire  videnlur. 

Ver.  8  continues  with  the  words  DipJp-^^  (cf.  Gen.  i.  9,  Dip^'Sx 
inx)  :  the  waters  retreat  to  the  place  which  (nr,  cf.  ver.  20,  for 
"irx,  Gen.  xxxix.  20)  God  has  assigned  to  them  as  that  which 
should  contain  them.  He  hath  set  a  bound  (^^33,  synon.  [>n, 
Prov.  viii.  29,  Jer.  v.  22)  for  them  beyond  which  they  may 
not  flow  forth  again  to  cover  the  earth,  as  the  primordial  waters 
of  chaos  have  done. 

Vers.  10-146.  The  third  decastich,  passing  on  to  the  third 
day  of  creation,  sings  the  benefit  which  the  shore-surrounded 
waters  are  to  the  animal  creation  and  the  growth  of  the  plants 
out  of  the  earth,  which  is  ii-rigated  from  below  and  moistened 
from  above.  God,  the  blessed  One,  being  the  principal  subject 
of  the  Psalm,  the  poet  (in  ver.  10  and  further  on)  is  able  to  go 
on  in  attributive  and  predicative  participles :  Who  sendeth 
springs  Q  vC???  i^^to  the  wadis  (not :  Qvn33,  as  brooks),  ^nj^  as 
ver.  105  shows,  is  here  a  synonym  of  '"^i'lP^,  and  there  is  no  need 
for  saying  that,  flowing  on  in  the  plains,  they  grow  into  rivers. 
The  LXX.  has  iv  ^dpay^iv.  ^b*  in^n  is  doubly  poetic  for 
'"■T^'"}  ^V^-  God  has  also  provided  for  all  the  beasts  that  roam 
far  from  men ;  and  the  wild  ass,  swift  as  an  arrow,  difficult  to 
be  hunted,  and  living  in  troops  (»<^3,  Arabic /^ra,  root  "iQ,  .«, 
to  move  quickly,  to  whiz,  to  flee;  the  wild  ass,  the  onager, 
Arabic  himur  el-ioahs,  whose  home  is  on  the  steppes),  is  made 
prominent  by  way  of  example.  The  phrase  "  to  break  the 
thirst"  occurs  only  here.  ^[}7V.,  ver.  12a,  refers  to  the  Q'^'y?, 
which  are  also  still  the  subject  in  ver.  11a.  The  pointing 
□ixay  needlessly  creates  a  liybrid  form  in  addition  to  O^i^^y 
(like  Q''':^^?)  and  2"3j;.  From  the  tangled  branches  by  the 
springs  the  poet  insensibly  reaches  the  second  half  of  the  third 
day.  The  vegetable  kingdom  at  the  same  time  reminds  him 
of  the  rain  which,  descending  out  of  the  upper  chambers  of  the 
heavens,  waters  the  waterless  mountain-tops.  Like  the  Talmud 
{B.  Taanilh,  10a),  by  the  "fruit  of  Thy  work"  {yt'V^  as 
singular)  Ilitzig  understands  the  rain  ;  but  rain  is  rather  that 
which  fertilizes ;  and  why  might  not  the  fruit  be  meant  which 
God's   works   (yb'iJO,   jjlural)   here    below   (ver.   l'4),    viz.   the 


132  PSALII  CIV.  14-18. 

veo-etable  creations,  bear,  and  from  which  the  earth,  i.e.  its 
population,  is  satisfied,  inasmuch  as  vegetable  food  springs  up 
as  much  for  the  beasts  as  for  man  ?  In  connection  with  3b'y 
the  poet  is  thinking  of  cultivated  plants,  more  especially  wheat ; 
mhyS,  however,  does  not  signify:  for  cultivation  hy  man, 
since,  according  to  Hitzig's  correct  remonstrance,  they  do 
not  say  nb'yn  nny,  and  ii^'in^  has  not  man,  but  rather  God,  as 
its  subject,  but  as  in  1  Chron.  xxvi.  30,  for  the  service  (use) 
of  man. 

Vers.  14c-18.  In  the  fourth  decastich  the  poet  goes  further 
among  the  creatures  of  the  field  and  of  the  forest.  The  sub- 
ject to  N'^^'in^  is  n''D^».  The  clause  expressing  the  purpose, 
which  twice  begins  with  an  infinitive,  is  continued  in  both 
instances,  as  in  Isa.  xiii.  9,  but  with  a  change  of  subject  (cf. 
e.g.  Amos  i.  11,  ii.  4),  in  the  finite  verb.  On  what  is  said  of 
wine  we  may  compare  Eccles.  x.  19,  Sir.  xl.  20,  and  more 
especially  Isaiah,  who  frequently  mentions  wine  as  a  represen- 
tative of  all  the  natural  sources  of  joy.  The  assertion  that 
ptJ'n  sio-nifies  "before  oil  =  brighter  than  oil,"  is  an  error  that 
is  rightly  combated  by  Bottcher  in  his  Prohen  and  two  of  his 
"  Gleanings,"*  which  imputes  to  the  poet  a  mention  of  oil  that 
is  contrary  to  his  purpose  in  this  connection  and  inappropriate. 
Corn,  wine,  and  oil  are  mentioned  as  the  three  chief  products 
of  the  vegetable  kingdom  (Luther,  Calvin,  Grotius,  Dathe,  and 
Hupfeld),  and  are  assumed  under  ^b'y  in  ver.  146,  as  is  also  the 
case  in  other  instances  where  distinction  would  be  superfluous, 
e.g.  in  Ex.  ix.  22.  With  oil  God  makes  the  countenance 
shining,  or  bright  and  cheerful,  not  by  means  of  anointing, — 
since  it  was  not  the  face  but  the  head  that  was  anointed  (Matt. 
vi.  17)j — but  by  the  fact  of  its  increasing  the  savouriness  and 
nutritiveness  of  the  food.  i"n^*n^  is  chosen  with  reference  to 
"in^;\  In  ver.  15c  t^i^N'nnb  does  not  stand  after,  as  in  ver.  15a 
(where  it  is  "3?^  with  Gaja  on  account  of  the  distinctive),  but 
before  the  verb,  because  32^  as  that  which  is  inward  stands  in 
antithesis  to  D''JD  as  that  which  is  outside.  Since  the  fertiliza- 
tion of  the  earth  by  the  rain  is  the  chief  subject  of  the  predi- 


*  Prohen,  i.e.  Specimens  of  Old  Testament  interpretation,  Leipzig  1833, 
anrl  Achrenlese  (Gleanings),  referred  to  in  the  preface  of  these  volumes. 
— Tu. 


PSALM  CIV.  19-23.  133 

cation  in  vers.  13-15,  ver.  IG  is  naturally  attached  to  \vliat 
precedes  without  arousing  critical  suspicion.  Tiiat  which  satis- 
fies is  here  the  rain  itself,  and  not,  as  in  ver.  13i,  that  which 
the  rain  matures.  The  "trees  of  Jahve"  are  those  which 
before  all  others  proclaim  the  greatness  of  their  Creator. 
C^-Tl^'S  refers  to  these  trees,  of  which  the  cedars  and  then  the 
cypresses  (D^?'i"i3,  root  13,  to  cut)  are  mentioned.  They  are 
places  where  small  and  large  birds  build  their  nests  and  lodge, 
more  particularly  the  stork,  which  is  called  the  'ITpn  as  being 
TTTqvoyv  evae/SeaTarov  tfixov  (Babrius,  Fab.  xiii.),  as  avis  pia 
{pietaticultrix  in  Petronius,  Iv.  G),  i.e.  on  account  of  its  love  of 
family  life,  on  account  of  which  it  is  also  regarded  as  bringing 
good  fortune  to  a  house.*  The  care  of  God  for  the  lodging 
of  His  creatures  leads  the  poet  from  the  trees  to  the  heights  of 
the  mountains  and  the  hiding-places  of  the  rocks,  in  a  manner 
that  is  certainly  abrupt  and  that  disturbs  the  sketch  taken  from 
the  account  of  the  creation.  DMhsn  is  an  apposition.  ?T 
(Arabic  loail)  is  the  steinboc,  wild-goat,  as  being  an  inhabitant 
of  by*  {ical,  ivala),  i.e.  the  high  places  of  the  rocks,  as  ir.  Lam. 
iv.  3,  according  to  Wetzstein,  is  the  ostrich  as  being  an  inhabi- 
tant of  the  loana,  i.e.  the  sterile  desert ;  and  ISw'  is  the  rock- 
badger,  which  dwells  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks  (Pro v.  xxx.  26), 

and  resembles  the  marmot — South  Arabic    J^,  Hyrax  Syriacns 

(distinct  from  the  African).  By  \^^  the  Jewish  tradition 
understands  the  coney,  after  which  the  Peshito  here  renders  it 
NDjnp  (DJn,  cuniculm).  Both  animals,  the  coney  and  the  rock- 
badger,  may  be  meant  in  Lev.  xi.  5,  Deut.  xiv.  7  ;  for  the  sign 
of  the  cloven  hoof  (ny^D:^  "^D"!?)  is  wanting  in  both.  The  coney 
has  four  toes,  and  the  hyrax  has  a  peculiar  formation  of  hoof, 
not  cloven,  but  divided  into  several  parts. 

Vers.  19-23.     The  fifth  decastich,  in  which  the  poet  passes 
over  from  the  third  to  the  fourth  day,  shows  that  he  has  tlit- 


*  In  the  Men/  district,  where  the  stork  is  not  called  Icklek  as  it  is  cl-e- 
where,  but  charnuk  on  account  of  its  bill  like  a  long  horn  (,^y>-)  standing 

out  in  front,  the  women  and  children  call  it  ^*-j  ^\,  "bringer  of  good 
luck."  Like  the  m"'Dn,  the  long-legged  carrion-vulture  (Vtiltur pcrciwp- 
tcrus)  or  mouutaiu-stork,  6pu7:rt7.xpy6s,  is  called  DHl  (/»^^0  o"  account  of 

it3  (JTOpyV). 


134-  PSALM  CIV.  24-30. 

order  of  the  clays  of  creation  before  his  mind.  The  moon  Is 
mentioned  first  of  all,  because  the  poet  wishes  to  make  the 
picture  of  the  day  follow  that  of  the  night.  He  describes  it 
in  ver.  19  as  the  calendarial  principal  star,  ^''ly.i^  are  points 
and  divisions  of  time  (epochs),  and  the  principal  measurer  of 
these  for  civil  and  ecclesiastical  life  is  the  moon  (cf.  Sir.  xhii. 
7,  airo  cr€\7]V7}<;  arjfielov  lopr?}?),  just  as  the  sun,  knowing  when 
he  is  to  set,  is  the  infallible  measurer  of  the  day.  In  ver.  20 
the  description,  which  throughout  is  drawn  in  the  presence  of 
God  in  His  honour,  passes  over  into  direct  address:  jussives 
(riK'rij  ''iTI)  stand  in  the  hypothetical  protasis  and  in  its  apodosis 
(E\v.  §  357,  b).  It  depends  upon  God's  willing  only,  and  it  is 
night,  and  the  wakeful  life  of  the  wild  beasts  begins  to  be 
astir.  The  young  lions  then  roar  after  their  prey,  and  flagita- 
turi  sunt  a  Deo  cibum  suum.  The  infinitive  with  Lamed  is  an 
elHptical  expression  of  a  conjugatio  perijjhrastica  (vid.  on  Hab. 
i.  17),  and  becomes  a  varying  expression  of  the  future  in  general 
in  the  later  language  in  approximation  to  the  Aramaic.  Tlie 
roar  of  the  lions  and  their  going  fortii  in  quest  of  prey  is  an 
asking  of  God  which  He  Himself  has  implanted  in  their  nature. 
AVith  the  rising  of  the  sun  the  aspect  of  things  becomes  very 
different,  ^^f  is  feminine  here,  where  the  poet  drops  the 
personification  (cf.  Ps.  xix.).  The  day  which  dawns  with  sun- 
rise is  the  time  for  man.  Both  as  to  matter  and  style,  vers. 
21-23  call  to  mind  Job  xxiv.  5,  xxxvii.  8,  xxxviii.  40. 

Vers.  24-30.  Fixing  his  eye  upon  the  sea  with  its  small 
and  great  creatures,  and  the  care  of  God  for  all  self-living 
beings,  the  poet  passes  over  to  the  fifth  and  sixth  days  of 
creation.  The  rich  contents  of  this  sixth  group  flow  over  and 
exceed  the  decasticlic  With  =i3Tno  (not  l^'ifnp,  xcii.  6)  the 
poet  expresses  his  wonder  at  the  great  number  of  God's  works, 
each  one  at  the  same  time  having  its  adjustment  in  accordance 
with  its  design,  and  all,  mutually  serving  one  another,  co- 
operating one  with  another.  pJi?,  which  signifies  both  bringing 
fortli  and  acquiring,  has  the  former  meaning  here  according  to 
the  predicate :  full  of  creatures,  which  bear  in  themselves  the 
traces  of  the  Name  of  their  Creator  ('^J.'P)-  Beside  T'^'^i?,  how- 
ever, we  also  find  the  reading  'IJ^^p,  which  is  adopted  by  Norzi, 
Heidenheim,  and  Baer,  represented  by  the  versions  (LXX., 
Vulgate,  and  Jerome),  by  expositors  (Rashi :  '^?'^  y^ip),  by  the 


PSALM  CIV.  2-1-30.  135 

majority  of  the  MSS.  (according  to  Norzi)  and  old  printed 
copies,  which  would  signify  t>}?  KTiaeu)^  aov,  or  according  to 
tlie  Latin  versions  Krijaecos  aov  (jyossessione  tua,  Luther  "  thy 
possessions"),  but  is  inferior  to  tiie  plural  Kria-^idrccv  aov,  as 
an  accusative  of  the  object  to  '^^?^J?.  The  sea  more  particu- 
larly is  a  world  of  moving  creatures  innumerable  (Ixix.  35). 
^'C  '"'.|:  does  not  properly  signify  this  sea,  but  that  sea,  yonder 
sea  (cf.  Ixviii.  9,  Isa.  xxiii.  13,  Josh.  ix.  13).  The  attributes 
follow  in  an  appositional  relation,  the  looseness  of  which  admits 
of  the  non-determination  (cf.  Ixviii.  28,  Jer.  ii.  21,  Gen.  xliii. 
14,  and  the  reverse  case  above  in  ver.  18a).  n>:N  in  relation 
to  ''J^{  is  a  nomen  unitatis  (the  single  ship).  It  is  an  old  word, 
which  is  also  Egyptian  in  the  form  liani  and  ana*  Leviathaiiy 
in  the  Book  of  Job,  the  crocodile,  is  in  this  passage  the  name 
of  the  whale  {vid.  Lewysohn,  Zoologie  des  Talmuds,  §§  178-180, 
505).  Ewald  and  Hitzig,  with  the  Jewish  tradition,  under- 
stand 13  in  ver.  26  according  to  Job  xl.  29  [xli.  5]  :  in  order 
to  play  with  him,  which,  however,  gives  no  idea  that  is  worthy 
of  God.  It  may  be  taken  as  an  alternative  word  for  DB'  (cf. 
13  in  ver.  20,  Job  xl,  20)  :  to  play  therein,  viz.  in  the  sea 
(Saadia).  In  Dp3,  ver.  27,  the  range  of  vision  is  widened  from 
the  creatures  of  the  sea  to  all  the  living  things  of  the  earth  ; 
cf.  the  borrowed  passages  cxlv.  15  sq.,  cxlvii.  9.  D?3,  by  an 
obliteration  of  the  suffix,  signifies  directly  "  altogether,"  and 
ini'3  (cf.  Job  xxxviii.  32)  :  when  it  is  time  for  it.  With  refer, 
ence  to  the  change  of  the  subject  in  the  principal  and  in  the 
infinitival  clause,  vid.  Ew.  §  338,  a.  The  existence,  passing - 
away,  and  origin  of  all  beings  is  conditioned  by  God.  His 
hand  provides  everything ;  the  turning  of  His  countenance 
towards  them  upholds  everything;  and  His  breath,  the  creative 
breath,  animates  and  renews  all  things.  The  spirit  of  life  of 
every  creature  is  the  disposing  of  the  divine  Spirit,  which 
hovered  over  the  primordial  waters  and  transformed  the  chaos 
into  the  cosmos.  ^DFi  in  ver.  29  is  equivalent  to  ^Dxn,  as  in 
1  Sam.  XV.  6,  and  frequently.     The  full  future  forms  accented 


*  Vide  Chabas,  Le  papyrus  magique  Harris,  p.  246,  No.  826 :  HAN  I 
(••JS),  vaisseaii,  navire,  and  the  Book  of  the  Dead  i.  10,  where  hani  occurs 
with  tlie  determinative  picture  of  a  ship.  As  to  the  form  ana,  vid.  Chabas 
loc.  cit.  p.  33. 


136  PSALM  CIV.  31-35. 

on  the  ultima,  from  ver.  27  onwards,  give  emphasis  to  the 
statements.  Job  xxxiv.  14  sq.  may  be  compared  with  ver.  29. 
Vers.  31-35.  The  poet  has  now  come  to  an  end  with  the 
review  of  the  wonders  of  the  creation,  and  closes  in  this  seventh 
group,  which  is  again  substantially  decastichic,  with  a  sabbatic 
meditation,  inasmuch  as  he  wishes  that  the  glory  of  God,  which 
He  has  put  upon  His  creatures,  and  which  is  reflected  and 
echoed  back  by  them  to  Him,  may  continue  for  ever,  and  that 
His  works  may  ever  be  so  constituted  that  He  who  was  satisfied 
at  the  completion  of  His  six  days'  work  may  be  able  to  rejoice 
in  them.  For  if  they  cease  to  give  Him  pleasure,  He  can 
indeed  blot  them  out  as  He  did  at  the  time  of  the  Flood,  since 
He  is  always  able  by  a  look  to  put  the  earth  in  a  tremble,  and 
by  a  touch  to  set  the  mountains  on  fire  CVIJii!!  of  the  result  of 
the  looking,  as  in  Amos  v.  8,  ix.  6,  and  ^'^^T,\  of  that  which 
takes  place  simultaneously  with  the  touching,  as  in  cxliv.  5, 
Zech.  ix.  5,  cf.  on  Hab.  iii.  10).  The  poet,  however,  on  his 
])art,  will  not  suffer  there  to  be  any  lack  of  the  glorifying  of 
Jahve,  inasmuch  as  he  makes  it  his  life's  work  to  praise  his 
God  with  music  and  song  Cjna  as  in  Ixiii.  5,  cf.  Bar.  iv.  20,  ev 
Tai<i  'f]ixepai<i  fiov).  Oh  that  this  his  quiet  and  his  audible 
meditation  upon  the  honour  of  God  may  be  pleasing  to  Him 
(?V  nny  synonymous  with  by  niD,  but  also  hv  1D^,  xvi.  6) !  Oh 
tha,t  Jahve  may  be  able  to  rejoice  in  him,  as  he  himself  will 
rejoice  in  his  God !  Between  "  I  will  rejoice,"  ver.  34,  and 
"  He  shall  rejoice,"  ver.  31,  there  exists  a  reciprocal  relation, 
as  between  the  Sabbath  of  the  creature  in  God  and  the  Sab- 
bath of  God  in  the  creature.  When  the  Psalmist  wishes  that 
God  may  have  joy  in  His  works  of  creation,  and  seeks  on  his 
part  to  please  God  and  to  have  his  joy  in  God,  he  is  also  war- 
ranted in  wishing  that  those  who  take  pleasure  in  wickedness, 
and  instead  of  giving  God  joy  excite  His  wrath,  may  be  re- 
moved from  the  earth  (y^'!^\^  cf.  Num.  xiv.  35) ;  for  they  are 
contrary  to  the  purpose  of  the  good  creation  of  God,  they  im- 
])eril  its  continuance,  and  mar  the  joy  of  His  creatures.  The 
expression  is  not :  may  sins  (D''XDnj  as  it  is  meant  to  be  read 
in  B.  Berachoth,  10a,  and  as  some  editions,  e.g.  Bomberg's  of 
1521,  actually  have  it),  but:  may  sinners,  be  no  more,  for 
there  is  no  other  existence  of  sin  than  the  personal  one. 

With  the  words  Bless,  0  mrj  soul,  Jahve,  the  Psalm  recurs 


PSALM  CIV.  31-35.  137 

to  its  introduction,  and  to  this  call  upon  lilmself  is  appended 
the  Ilallehijah  which  summons  all  creatures  to  the  praise  of 
God  —  a  call  of  devotion  which  occurs  nowhere  out  of  the 
Psalter,  and  within  the  Psalter  is  found  here  for  the  first 
time,  and  consequently  was  only  coined  in  the  later  age.  In 
modern  printed  copies  it  is  sometimes  written  '"^^"wnj  some- 
times ^\  vpn,  but  in  the  earlier  copies  {e.g.  Venice  1521, 
Wittenberg  1566)  mostly  as  one  word  n^vpn.*  In  the  ma- 
jority of  MSS.  it  is  also  found  thus  as  one  word,f  and  that 

always  with  n,  except  the  first  ^''y^')  which  occurs  here  at  the 

end  of  Ps.  civ.,  which  has  n  raphe  in  good  mss.  and  old  printed 
copies.  This  mode  of  writing  is  that  attested  by  the  Masora 
{vid.  Baer's  Psalteriiim,  p.  132).  The  Talmud  and  Midrash 
observe  this  first  Hallelujah  is  connected  in  a  significant 
maimer  with  the  prospect  of  the  final  overthrow  of  the  wicked. 
Ben-Pazzi  (B.  Berachoth  10a)  counts  103  nvj'iD  up  to  this 
Hallelujah,  reckoning  Ps.  i.  and  ii.  as  one  snii'iD. 


*  More  accurately  rl''1^^n  with  Chateph,  as  Jekuthiel  ha-Nalcdan  e.x.- 
pressly  demands.  Moreover  the  mode  of  writing  it  as  one  word  is  the 
rule,  since  the  Masora  notes  the  ^''"^bSn,  occurring  only  once,  in  cxxxv.  3, 
with  DyD3  r\''b  as  being  the  only  instance  of  the  kind. 

t  Yet  even  in  the  Talmud  (J.  Mecjilla  i.  9,  Sofrim  v.  10)  it  is  a  matter 
of  controversy  concerning  the  mode  of  writing  this  word,  whether  it  is  to 
be  separate  or  combined  ;  and  in  B.  Pesachim  117a  Rab  appeals  to  a  Psalter 
of  the  school  of  Chal)ibi  (>2''2n  "21  "•^Tl)  that  he  has  seen,  in  which  i^^n 
stood  in  one  line  and  n^  in  the  other.  In  the  same  place  Rab  Chasda 
appeals  to  a  J'jn  21  "21  "b"r\  that  he  has  seen,  in  which  the  Ilallehijah 
standing  between  two  Psalms,  which  might  be  regarded  as  the  close  of  the 
Psalm  preceding  it  or  as  the  beginning  of  the  Psalm  following  it,  was 
written  in  the  middle  between  the  two  (x^pIS  J/'V0S3)-  lu  the  il^l^^n 
written  as  one  word,  n""  is  not  regarded  as  strictly  the  divine  name,  only 
as  an  addition  strengthening  the  notion  of  the  i^^n,  as  in  rT'ZmLDJ  cxviii. 
b  ;  with  reference  to  this,  vide  Geiger,  Urschri/t,  S.  275. 


138 


PSALM    CV. 

THANKSGIVING   HYMN    IN   HONOUR    OF    GOD   WHO    IS 
ATTESTED  IN  THE  EARLIEST  HISTORY  OP  ISRAEL. 

1  GIVE  thanks  unto  Jalive,  publisli  His  Name, 
Make  known  among  the  peoples  His  deeds. 

2  Sing  unto  Him,  harp  unto  Him, 
Speak  of  all  His  wondrous  works. 

3  Glory  ye  in  His  holy  Name, 

Let  the  heart  of  those  rejoice  who  seek  Jahve. 

4  Follow  after  Jahve  and  His  strength, 
Seek  ye  His  face  evermore. 

5  Remember  His  wondrous  works  which  He  hath  done, 
His  rare  deeds  and  the  decisions  of  His  mouth, 

6  O  seed  of  Abraham  His  servant, 
Ye  sons  of  Jacob,  His  chosen  ones. 

7  Pie,  Jalive,  is  our  God, 

His  judgments  go  forth  over  all  lands. 

8  He  remembereth  for  ever  His  covenant, 

■The  word  which  He  hath  established  to  a  thousand  gene- 
rations, 

9  Which  He  made  with  Abraham, 
And  His  oath  unto  Isaac. 

10  And  He  hath  established  it  for  Jacob  as  a  statute. 
For  Israel  as  an  everlasting  covenant, 

11  Saying  :  "  Unto  thee  do  I  give  the  land  of  Canaan 
As  the  line  of  your  inheritance." 

12  When  they  were  a  countable  people. 
Very  small,  and  sojourning  therein, 

13  And  went  to  and  fro  from  nation  to  natioi.^ 
From  one  kingdom  to  another  people  : 

14  He  suffered  no  man  to  oppress  them, 
And  lie  reproved  kings  for  their  sakes : 

15  "  Touch  not  Mine  anointed  ones. 
And  to  ISIy  prophets  do  no  harm  ! " 


PSALM  CV.  139 

lij  Tlieu  He  called  up  a  famine  over  the  land, 
Every  staff  of  bread  He  brake. 

17  He  sent  before  them  a  man, 
As  a  slave  was  Joseph  sold. 

18  They  hurt  his  feet  with  fetters, 
Iron  came  upon  his  soul, 

19  Until  the  time  that  his  word  came, 
The  word  of  Jahve  liad  proved  him. 

20  The  king  sent  and  loosed  him, 

The  ruler  of  the  peoples,  and  let  him  go  free ; 

21  He  made  him  lord  of  his  house, 
And  ruler  over  all  his  possession, 

22  To  bind  his  princes  at  his  will, 
And  to  make  his  elders  wiser. 

23  Thus  Israel  came  to  Egypt, 

And  Jacob  sojourned  in  the  land  of  Ham. 

24  And  He  made  His  people  fruitful  exceedingly, 
And  made  them  more  powerful  than  their  enemies. 


25  He  turned  their  heart  to  hate  His  people, 
To  practise  cunning  on  His  servants  ; 

26  He  sent  Moses  His  servant, 
Aaron,  whom  He  had  chosen. 

27  They  performed  upon  them  facts  of  His  signs, 
And  strano;e  thino;s  in  the  land  of  Ham. 

28  He  sent  darkness  and  made  it  dark, 
And  they  rebelled  not  against  His  words ; 

29  He  turned  their  waters  into  blood, 
And  thus  killed  their  fish. 

30  Their  land  swarmed  forth  frogs 
In  the  chambers  of  their  kings. 

31  He  spake,  and  the  gad-fly  came, 
Gnats  in  all  their  border. 

32  He  gave  them  as  rain  hail, 
Flaming  fire  in  their  land, 

33  And  He  smote  down  their  vines  and  fig- trees, 
And  brake  the  trees  of  their  border. 

34  He  spake,  and  the  locusts  came, 
And  the  grasshopper  without  number, 


140  PSALM  CV. 

35  And  devoured  all  the  green  herb  In  their  land, 
And  devoured  the  fruit  of  their  ground. 

36  Then  He  smote  all  the  first-born  in  their  land, 
The  firstlings  of  all  their  strength, 

37  And  led  them  forth  with  silver  and  gold, 

And  there  was  no  stumbling  one  among  His  tribes, 

38  Egypt  rejoiced  at  their  departure. 

For  dread  of  them  had  fallen  upon  them. 

39  He  spread  a  cloud  for  a  covering, 
And  fire  to  lighten  the  night ; 

40  They  desired,  and  He  brought  quails, 

And  satisfied  tliem  with  the  bread  of  heaven  ; 

41  He  opened  a  rock,  and  waters  gushed  out. 
They  flowed  through  the  steppes  as  a  river. 

42  For  He  remembered  His  holy  word, 
Abraham  His  servant ; 

43  And  He  led  forth  His  people  with  gladness, 
And  with  exulting  His  chosen  ones  ; 

44  And  He  gave  them  the  lands  of  the  heathen. 

And  that  gained  by  the  labour  of  the  nations  they  in- 
herited ; 

45  That  they  might  observe  His  laws 
And  keep  His  instructions. 

Hallelujah  ! 

We  have  here  another  Psalm  closing  with  Hallelujah,  which 
opens  the  series  of  the  //ocZi^-Psalms.  Such  is  the  name  we 
give  only  to  Psalms  which  begin  with  mn  (cv.,  evil.,  cxviii., 
cxxxvi.),  just  as  we  call  those  which  begin  with  rfTOi  (cvi., 
cxi.-cxiii.,  cxvii.,  cxxxv.,  cxlvi.-cl.)  IIallelajah-Vsd\ms  {allelida- 
t'tci.)  The  expression  nilin?^  7pnp^  which  frequently  occurs  iu 
the  books  of  Chronicles,  Ezra,  and  Nehemiali,  points  to  these 
two  kinds  of  Psalms,  or  at  least  to  their  key-notes. 

Tlie  festival  song  which  David,  according  to  1  Chron.  xvi. 
7,  handed  over  to  Asaph  and  his  brethren  for  musical  execution 
at  the  setting  down  of  the  Ark  and  the  opening  of  divine  ser- 
vice on  Zion,  is,  so  far  as  its  first  part  is  concerned  (1  Chron. 
xvi.  8-22),  taken  from  our  Psalm  (vers.  1-15),  which  is  then 
follovved  by  Ps.  xcvi.  as  a  second  part,  and  is  closed  with  Ps. 


PSALM  CV.  1-G.  141 

cvi.  1,  47,  48.  Hitzlg  regards  the  festival  song  in  the  chro- 
nicler as  the  original,  and  the  respective  parallels  in  the  Psalms 
as  "  layers  or  shoots."  "  The  chronicler,"  says  he,  "  there 
produces  with  labour,  and  therefore  himself  seeking  foreign 
aid,  a  song  for  a  past  that  is  dead."  But  the  transition  from 
ver.  22  to  ver.  23  and  from  ver.  33  to  ver.  34,  so  devoid  of 
connection,  the  taking  over  of  the  verse  out  of  Ps.  cvi.  refer- 
ring to  the  Babylonian  exile  into  ver.  35,  and  even  of  the 
doxology  of  the  Fourth  Book,  regarded  as  an  integral  part  of 
the  Psalm,  into  ver.  36,  refute  that  perversion  of  the  right 
relation,  which  has  been  attempted  in  the  interest  of  tlie  Macca- 
ba?an  Psalms.  That  festival  song  in  the  chronicler,  as  lias  been 
shown  again  very  recently  by  Riehm  and  Kuhler,  is  a  compila- 
tion of  parts  of  songs  already  at  hand,  arranged  for  a  definite 
purpose.  Starting  on  the  assumption  that  the  Psalms  as  a 
whole  are  Davidic  (just  as  all  the  Proverbs  are  Salomonic), 
because  David  called  the  poetry  of  the  Psalms  used  in  religious 
worship  into  existence,  the  attempt  is  made  in  that  festival  son^ 
to  represent  the  opening  of  the  worship  on  Zion  at  that  time  in 
strains  beloncjincr  to  the  Davidic  Psalms. 

So  far  as  the  subject-matter  is  concerned,  Ps.  cv.  attaches 
itself  to  the  Asaph  Psalm  Ixxviii.,  which  recapitulates  the  his- 
tory of  Israel.  The  recapitulation  here,  however,  is  made  not 
with  any  didactic  purpose,  but  with  the  purpose  of  forming  a 
hymn,  and  does  not  come  down  beyond  the  time  of  Moses  and 
Joshua.  Its  source  is  likewise  the  Tora  as  it  now  lies  before 
us.  The  poet  epitomizes  what  the  Tora  narrates,  and  clothes 
it  in  a  poetic  garb. 

Vers.  1-6.  Invitation  to  the  praise — praise  that  resounds 
far  and  wide  among  the  peoples — of  the  God  who  has  become 
manifest  wondrously  in  the  deeds  and  words  connected  with 
the  history  of  the  founding  of  Israel,  'n?  '"''^^'"',  as  in  xxxiii.  2, 
Ixxv.  2,  of  a  praising  and  thankful  confession  offered  to  God  ; 
'n  D'^2  fc^np,  to  call  with  the  name  of  Jahve,  i.e.  to  call  upon 
it,  of  an  audible,  solemn  attestation  of  God  in  prayer  and 
^n  discourse  (Symmachus,   Kr^pvaaeTe).      The  joy  of   heart  * 


*  The  Mugrash  of  niptr''  with  the  following  Lcgarme  seems  here  to  ha 
of  equal  value  with  Zakcph,  1  Chron.  xvi.  10. 


142  PSALM  CV.  7-11. 

that  IS  desired  is  the  condition  of  a  joyous  opening  of  the 
mouth  and  Israel's  own  stedfast  turning  towards  Jahve,  the 
condition  of  all  salutary  result ;  for  it  is  only  His  "  strength" 
that  breaks  through  all  dangers,  and  His  "  face"  that  lightens 
up  all  darkness.  VEC'OSp'Pj  as  ver.  7  teaches,  are  God's  judicial 
•iterances,  which  have  been  executed  without  any  hindrance, 
more  particularly  in  the  case  of  the  Egyptians,  their  Pharaoh, 
and  their  gods.  The  chronicler  has  ^n'^Q  and  bN"ib'^  yiT,  which 
is  so  far  unsuitable  as  one  does  not  know  whether  Ti2]}  is  to 
be  referred  to  ''  Israel "  the  patriarch,  or  to  the  "  seed  of 
Israel,"  the  nation ;  the  latter  reference  would  be  deutero- 
Isaianic.  In  both  texts  the  LXX.  reads  n^y  (ye  His  servants). 
Vers.  7-11.  The  poet  now  begins  himself  to  do  that  to 
which  he  encourages  Israel.  Jahve  is  Israel's  God  :  His  right- 
eous rule  extends  over  the  whole  earth,  whilst  His  people 
experience  His  inviolable  faithfulness  to  His  covenant,  nin^ 
in  ver.  7a  is  in  apposition  to  N^n,  for  the  God  who  bears  this 
name  is  as  a  matter  of  course  the  object  of  the  song  of 
praise.  13J  is  the  perfect  of  practically  pledged  certainty  (cf. 
cxi.  5,  where  we  find  instead  the  future  of  confident  prospect). 
The  chronicler  has  1"13T  instead  (LXX.  again  something  dif- 
ferent :  /jLvrjfiovevcofjiep) ;  but  the  object  is  not  the  demanding 
but  the  promissory  side  of  the  covenant,  so  that  consequently 
it  is'  not  Israel's  remembering  but  God's  that  is  spoken  of.  He 
remembers  His  covenant  in  all  time  to  come,  so  that  exile  and 
want  of  independence  as  a  state  are  only  temporary,  excep- 
tional conditions,  njy  has  its  radical  signification  here,  to 
establish,  institute,  cxi.  9.  "li^  ^^^7  (in  which  expression  nil  is 
a  specifying  accusative)  is  taken  from  Dent.  vii.  9.  And  since 
"i3"n  is  the  covenant  word  of  promise,  it  can  be  continued  1*C'^<. 
^"^3  ;  and  Hagg.  ii.  5  (vid.  Kohler  thereon)  shows  that  IK'S  is 
not  joined  to  inna  over  ver.  8b.  inyUK'^j  however,  is  a  second 
object  to  13T  (since  "IS^  with  what  belongs  to  it  as  an  apposi- 
tion is  out  of  the  question).  It  is  the  oath  on  Moriah  (Gen. 
xxii.  16)  that  is  meant,  which  applied  to  Abraham  and  his 
seed,  pnb'7  (chronicler  PI^V!?),  as  in  Amos  vii.  9,  Jer.  xxxiii. 
26.  To  ■'jT  is  appended  v'"!''^^,-''- ;  the  suffix,  intended  as  neuter, 
points  to  what  follows,  viz.  this,  that  Canaan  shall  be  Israel's 
hereditary  land.  From  Abraham  and  Isaac  we  come  to  Jacob- 
Israel,  who  as  being  the  father  of  the  twelve  is  the  twelve-tribe 


PSALM  CV.  12-15.  1  13 

nation  itself  that  is  coming  into  existence  ;  hence  the  plural 
can  alternate  with  the  singular  in  ver.  11.  IVP  pSTiN  (cliro- 
nicler,  without  the  HN)  is  an  accusative  of  the  object,  and  -'^n 
C^r^rH^-  accusative  of  the  predicate :  the  land  of  Canaan  as  tlie 
province  of  your  own  hereditary  possession  measured  out  witli 
a  measuring  line  (Ixxviii.  55). 

Vers.  12-15.  The  poet  now  celebrates  the  divine  preser- 
vation which  had  sway  over  the  small  beginnings  of  Israel, 
when  it  made  the  patriarchs  proof  against  harm  on  their  wan- 
derings. "  Men  of  number"  are  such  as  can  be  easily  conntt'd, 
vid.  the  confessions  in  Gen.  xxxiv.  30,  Deut.  xxvi.  5  ;  iSpnriM 
places  the  claim  upon  the  hospitality  at  one  time  of  this  people 
and  at  another  time  of  that  people  in  the  connection  with  it  of 
cause  and  effect.  t2y03,  as  a  small  number,  only  such  a  small 
number,  signifies,  as  being  virtually  an  adjective  :  inconsider- 
able, insignificant,  worthless  (Prov.  x.  20).  '"^^  refers  to  Canaan. 
In  ver.  13  the  way  in  which  the  words  ^13  and  cy  alternate  is 
instructive :  the  former  signifies  the  nation,  bound  together  by 
a  common  origin,  language,  country,  and  descent ;  the  latter 
the  people,  bound  together  by  unity  of  government.*  The 
apodosis  does  not  begin  until  ver.  14.  It  is  different  in  con- 
nection with  D^nvna  in  the  text  of  the  chronicler,  and  in  this 
passage  in  the  Psalter  of  the  Syriac  version,  according  to  which 
ver.  12  ought  to  be  joined  to  the  preceding  group.  The  varia- 
tion nD^DCOl  instead  of  nafj^no  is  of  no  consequence ;  but  K'^n? 
(to  any  one  whomsoever)  instead  of  D^?'  ^^  connection  with 
n'':n,  restores  the  current  mode  of  exjiression  (Eccles.  v.  11, 
2  Sam.  xvi.  11,  Hos.  iv.  17)  instead  of  one  which  is  without 
support  elsewhere,  but  which  follows  the  model  of  ina,  \:'12:^ 
Gen.  xxxi.  28  (cf.  supra  i.  274)  ;  whilst  on  the  other  hand 
*xu:2l  instead  of  "'N"'3:pi  substitutes  an  expression  that  cannot 
be  supported  for  the  current  one  (Gen.  xix.  9,  Ruth  i.  21).  In 
ver.  14  the  poet  has  the  three  histories  of  the  preservation  of 


•  For  this  reason  a  king  says  ^ey,  not  «ij  ;  and  •>)}  only  occurs  twice 
with  a  suflBx,  which  refers  to  Jahve  (cvi.  5,  Zeph.  ii.  9)  ;  for  this  reason 
"i  j,  frequently  side  by  side  with  Dy,  is  the  nobler  word,  e.g.  in  Deut.  xxxii. 
21,  Jer.  ii.  11 ;  for  this  reason  oy  is  frequently  added  to  M3  as  adiguitative 
predicate,  Ex.  xxxiii.  13,  Deut.  iv.  6  ;  and  for  this  reason  D^i3  and  n  Ci 
are  used  antithetically. 


144  PSALM  CV.  lG-24. 

the  wives  of  the  patriarchs  in  his  mind,  viz.  of  Sarah  in  Egypt 
(Gen.  ch.  xii.),  and  of  Sarah  and  of  Rebekah  both  in  Phihstia 
(ch.  XX.,  xxvi.,  cf.  especially  xxvi.  11).  In  the  second  instance 
God  declares  the  patriarch  to  be  a  "  prophet"  (ch.  xx.  7).  The 
one  mention  has  reference  to  this  and  the  other  to  Gen.  ch. 
xvii.,  where  Abram  is  set  apart  to  be  the  father  of  peoples  and 
kings,  and  Sarai  to  be  a  princess.  They  are  called  D"'^''t^'0  (a 
passive  form)  as  being  God-chosen  princes,  and  Q''*^"'??  (an  in- 
tensive active  form,  from  ^33^  root  22,  to  divulge),  not  as  being 
inspired  ones  (Hupfeld),  but  as  being  God's  spokesmen  (cf. 
Ex.  vii.  1  sq.  with  iv.  15  sq.),  therefore  as  being  the  recipients 
and  mediators  of  a  divine  revelation. 

Vers.  16-24.  "  To  call  up  a  famine"  is  also  a  prose  ex- 
pression in  2  Kings  viii.  1.  7o  break  the  staff  of  bread  {i.e.  the 
staff  which  bread  is  to  man)  is  a  very  old  metaphor.  Lev.  xxvi. 
26.  That  the  selling  of  Joseph  was,  providentially  regarded, 
a  "  sending  before,"  he  himself  says  in  Gen.  xlv.  5.  Ps.  cii. 
24  throws  light  upon  the  meaning  of  3  nsy.  The  Ken  v3")  is 
just  as  much  without  any  occasion  to  justify  it  as  i^"!!?  in  Eccles. 
iv.  8  (for  vyj;).  The  statement  that  iron  came  upon  his  soul 
is  intended  to  say  that  he  had  to  endure  in  iron  fetters  sufferings 
that  threatened  his  life.  Most  expositors  take  ^HB  as  equivalent 
to  •'.p^^,  but  Hitzig  rightly  takes  ic^'DJ  as  an  object,  following 
theTargum ;  for  i^nn  as  a  name  of  an  iron  fetter*  can  cliange 
its  gender,  as  do,  e.g.,  |1DX  as  a  name  of  the  north  wind,  and 
nUD  as  a  name  of  the  soul.  The  imprisonment  (so  harsh  at 
the  commencement)  lasted  over  ten  years,  until  at  last  Joseph's 
word  came  to  pass,  viz.  the  word  concerning  his  exaltation 
which  had  been  revealed  to  him  in  dreams  (Gen.  xHi.  9). 
According  to  cvii.  20,  il3T  appears  to  be  the  word  of  Jahve, 
but  then  one  would  expect  from  ver.  IDA  a  more  parallel  turn 
of  expression.     What  is  meant  is  Joseph's  open-hearted  word 


*  Also  in   aucient  Arabic    J^yJ   (after  tbe  Aramaic  N^PD)  directly 
signifies  an  iron  fetter  (and  tbe  large  srnitb's  sbears  for  cutting  tbe  iron), 

■wbence  the  verb,  denom.  ^j  i  J  c.  ace.  pcrs.,  to  put  any  one  into  iron 
chains.  Iron  is  called  ^pS  from  pa,  to  pierce,  like  tbe  Arabic  kX\V>-, 
as  being  tbe  material  of  which  pointed  tools  are  made. 


PSALM  CV.  25-38.  145 

concerning  his  visions,  and  'n  nnox  is  the  revehitlon  of  God 
conveying  His  promises,  which  came  to  him  in  the  same  form, 
which  had  to  try,  to  prove,  and  to  purify  him  (^'ly  as  in  xvii. 
3,  and  frequently),  inasmuch  as  he  was  not  to  be  raised  to 
honour  without  having  in  a  state  of  deep  abasement  proved  a 
faithfulness  that  wavered  not,  and  a  confidence  that  knew  no 
despair.  The  divine  "  word"  is  conceived  of  as  a  living  effec- 
tual power,  as  in  cxix.  50.  The  representation  of  the  exalta- 
tion begins,  according  to  Gen.  xli.  14,  with  '^hj2'r6'^*  and 
follows  Gen.  xli.  39-41,  44,  very  closely  as  to  the  rest,  accord- 
ini]J  to  which  i'^D^a  is  a  collateral  definition  to  "l^^<?  (with  an 
orthophonic  Dag.)  in  the  sense  of  i3ii;"i3 :  by  his  soul,  i.e.  by 
virtue  of  his  will  (vid.  Psychology,  S.  202  ;  tr.  p.  239).  In 
consequence  of  this  exaltation  of  Joseph,  Jacob-Israel  came 
then  into  Egypt,  and  sojourned  there  as  in  a  protecting  house 
of  shelter  (concerning  lis,  vid.  supra,  ii.  203).  Egypt  is  called 
(vers.  23,  27)  the  land  of  Cham,  as  in  Ixxviii.  51 ;  according  to 
Plutarch,  in  the  vernacular  the  black  land,  from  the  dark  ashy 
grey  colouring  which  the  deposited  mud  of  the  Nile  gives  to  the 
ground.  There  Israel  became  a  powerful,  numerous  people 
(Ex.  i.  7,  Deut.  xxvi.  5),  greater  than  their  oppressors. 

Vers.  25-38.  Narration  of  the  exodus  out  of  Egypt  after 
the  plagues  that  went  forth  over  that  land.  Ver.  25  tells  how 
the  Egyptians  became  their  "  oppressors."  It  was  indirectly 
God's  work,  inasmuch  as  He  gave  increasing  might  to  His 
people,  which  excited  their  jealousy.  The  craft  reached  its 
highest  pitch  in  the  weakening  of  the  Israelites  that  was  aimed 
at  by  killing  all  the  male  children  that  were  born.  ''13T  sig- 
nifies facts,  instances,  as  in  Ixv.  4,  cxlv.  5.  Here,  too,  as  in 
Ps.  Ixxviii.,  the  miraculous  judgments  of  the  ten  plagues  do 
not  stand  in  exactly  historical  order.  The  poet  begins  with 
the  ninth,  which  was  the  most  distinct  self-representation  of 
divine  wrath,  viz.  the  darkness  (Ex.  x.  21-29)  :  shdlach  chd- 
shech.     The  former  word  (n^t^)  has  an  orthophonic  Gaja  by 


*  Here  nb^  is  united  by  Makkeph  with  the  following  word,  to  which 
it  hurries  on,  whereas  in  ver.  28  it  has  its  own  accent,  a  circumstance  to 
which  the  Masora  has  directed  attention  in  the  apophthegm  :  X3PDT  Tlv"' 
PJTDO  S3V;^•^^  ^ni^*^  pril  (the  emis.saries  of  the  king  are  in  haste,  those 
of  darkness  are  tardy)  ;  vid.  Bacr,  Thorath  Emeth,  p.  22. 

VOL.  III.  10 


1 16  FSAI.M  CV.  25-38. 

the  final  syllable,  which  warns  the  reader  audibly  to  utter  the 
guttural  of  the  toneless  final  syllable,  which  might  here  be 
easily  slurred  over.  The  Hiph.  ^"'^fl,'!}  has  its  causative  signifi- 
cation here,  as  also  in  Jer.  xiii.  16  ;  the  contracted  mode  of 
writing  with  i  instead  of  i  may  be  occasioned  by  the  Waw  con- 
fers. Ver.  28b  cannot  be  referred  to  the  Egyptians ;  for  the 
expression  would  be  a  mistaken  one  for  the  final  compliance, 
which  was  wrung  from  them,  and  the  interrogative  way  of 
taking  it :  nonne  rehellarunt,  is  forced  :  the  cancelling  of  the  N?, 
however  (LXX.  and  Syriac),  makes  the  thought  halting. 
Hitzig  proposes  liJOtJ'  i^!?! :  they  observed  not  His  words ;  but 
this,  too,  sounds  flat  and  awkward  when  said  of  the  Egyptians. 
The  subject  will  therefore  be  the  same  as  the  subject  of  10*^ ; 
and  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  in  contrast  to  the  behaviour  at  Me- 
Meribah  (Num.  xx.  24,  xxvii.  14  ;  cf.  1  Kings  xiii.  21,  26),  it 
is  said  that  this  time  they  rebelled  not  against  the  words  (Ken, 
without  any  ground  :  the  word)  of  God,  but  executed  the 
terrible  commands  accurately  and  willingly.  From  the  ninth 
plague  the  poet  in  ver.  29  passes  over  to  the  first  (Ex.  vii. 
14-25),  viz.  the  red  blood  is  appended  to  the  black  darkness. 
The  second  plague  follows,  viz.  the  frogs  (Ex.  vii.  26  [viii.  1] 
-viii.  11  [15])  ;  ver.  dOb  looks  as  though  it  were  stunted,  but 
neither  has  the  LXX.  read  any  15<T1  (l^y^l),  Ex.  vii.  28.  In 
ver.  31  he  next  briefly  touches  upon  the  fourth  plague,  viz. 
the  gad-fly,  3ny,  LXX.  Kvm/xvia  (Ex.  viii.  16-28  [20-32],  vid. 
on  Ixxviii.  45),  and  the  third  (Ex.  viii.  12-15  [16-19]),  viz.  the 
gnats,  which  are  passed  over  in  Ps.  Ixxviii.  From  the  third 
plague  the  poet  in  vers.  32,  33  takes  a  leap  over  to  the  seventh, 
viz.""  the  hail  (Ex.  ix.  13-35).  In  ver.  32  he  has  Ex.  ix.  24 
before  his  mind,  accoi'ding  to  which  masses  of  fire  descended 
with  the  hail ;  and  in  ver.  33  (as  in  Ixxviii.  47)  he  fills  in  the 
details  of  Ex.  ix.  25.  The  seventh  plague  is  followed  by  the 
eighth  in  vers.  34,  35,  viz.  the  locust  (Ex.  x.  1-20),  to  which  p.?' 
(the  grasshopper)  is  the  parallel  word  here,  just  as  ^"'pn  (the 
cricket)  is  in  Ixxviii.  46.  The  expression  of  innumerableness 
is  the  same  as  in  civ.  25.  The  fifth  plague,  viz.  the  pestilence, 
murrain  (Ex.  ix.  1-7),  and  the  sixth,  viz.  pnt^,  boils  (Ex.  ix. 
8-12),  are  left  unmentioned  ;  and  the  tenth  plague  closes,  viz. 
the  smiting  of  the  first-born  (Ex.  xi.  1  sqq.),  which  ver.  36 
expresses  in   the  Asaphic   language  of  Ixxviii.  51.      Witliout 


PSALM  CV.  39-45.  147 

any  mention  of  the  institution  of  the  Passover,  the  tenth 
plague  is  followed  by  the  departure  with  the  vessels  of  silver 
and  gold  asked  for  from  the  Egyptians  (Ex.  xii.  35,  xi.  2,  iii. 
22).  The  Egyptians  were  glad  to  get  rid  of  the  people  whose 
detention  threatened  them  with  total  destruction  (Ex.  xii.  33). 
The  poet  here  draws  from  Isa.  v.  27,  xiv.  31,  Ixiii.  13,  and  Ex. 
XV.  16.  The  suffix  of  l'^?^  refers  to  the  chief  subject  of  the 
assertion,  viz.  to  God,  according  to  cxxii,  4,  although  mani- 
festly enough  the  reference  to  Israel  is  also  possible  (Num. 
xxiv,  2). 

Vers.  39-45.  Now  follows  the  miraculous  guidance  through 
the  desert  to  the  taking  possession  of  Canaan.  The  fact  that 
the  cloud  (\yj,  root  |y,  to  meet,  to  present  itself  to  view,  whence 
the  Arabic  'dncin,  the  visible  outward  side  of  the  vault  of 
heaven)  by  day,  and  becoming  like  fire  by  night,  was  their 
guide  (Ex.  xiii.  21),  is  left  out  of  consideration  in  ver.  39a. 
With  ^99-  ^^'6  are  not  to  associate  the  idea  of  a  covering 
against  foes,  Ex.  xiv.  19  sq.,  but  of  a  covering  from  the  smiting 
sun,  for  K*']3  (Ex.  xl.  19),  as  in  Isa.  iv.  5  sq.,  points  to  the  idea 
of  a  canopy.  In  connection  with  the  sending  of  the  quails 
the  tempting  character  of  the  desire  is  only  momentarily  dwelt 
upon,  the  greater  emphasis  is  laid  on  the  omnipotence  of  the 
divine  goodness  which  responded  to  it.  vSti'  is  to  be  read 
instead  of  ?Xi^',  the  1  before  1  havins  been  overlooked ;  and 
the  Keri  writes  and  points  VX'  (like  vriD,  ny)  in  order  to 
secure  the  correct  pronunciation,  after  the  analogy  of  the  plural 
teiTnination  V—.  The  bread  of  heaven  (Ixxviii.  24  sq.)  is  the 
manna.  In  ver.  41  the  giving  of  water  out  of  the  rock  at 
Kephidim  and  at  Kadesh  are  brought  together ;  the  expression 
corresponds  better  to  the  former  instance  (Ex.  xvii.  6,  cf.  Num. 
XX.  11).  ^':if^^  refers  to  the  waters,  and  "inj  for  ^li'ii^23j  Ixxviii. 
16,  is,  as  in  xxii.  14,  an  equation  instead  of  a  comparison.  In 
this  miraculous  escort  the  patriarchal  promise  moves  on  towards 
its  fulfilment ;  the  holy  word  of  promise,  and  the  stedfdst, 
proved  faith  of  Abraham — these  were  the  two  motives.  The 
second  DK  is,  like  the  first,  a  sign  of  the  object,  not  a  preposi- 
tion (LXX.,  Targum),  in  connection  with  which  ver.  426 
would  be  a  contitmation  of  ver.  42a,  dragging  on  without  any 
parallelism.  Joy  and  exulting  are  mentioned  as  the  mood  of 
the  redeemed  ones  with  reference  to  the  festive  joy  displayed 


148  PSALM  CVI. 

at  the  Keel  Sea  and  at  Sinai.  By  ver.  43  one  is  reminded  of 
the  same  descriptions  of  the  antitype  in  Isaiah,  ch.  xxxv.  10, 
li.  11,  Iv.  12,  just  as  ver.  41  recalls  Isa.  xlviii.  21.  "  The  lands 
of  the  heathen"  are  the  territories  of  the  tribes  of  Canaan. 
^oy  is  equivalent  to  ^J'.  in  Isa.  xlv.  14 :  the  cultivated  ground, 
the  habitable  cities,  and  the  accumulated  treasures.  Israel 
entered  upon  the  inheritance  of  these  peoples  in  every  direction. 
As  an  independent  people  upon  ground  that  is  theirs  by  inheri- 
tance, keeping  the  revealed  law  of  their  God,  was  Israel  to 
exhibit  the  pattern  of  a  holy  nation  moulded  after  the  divine 
will ;  and,  as  the  beginning  of  the  Psalm  shows,  to  unite  the 
peoples  to  themselves  and  their  God,  the  God  of  redemption, 
by  the  proclamation  of  the  redemption  which  has  fallen  to  their 
own  lot. 


PSALM    CVI. 

ISKAEL's    unfaithfulness   from    EGYPT    ONWARDS,    AND 

god's  faithfulness  down  to  the  present  time. 

Hallelujah  ! 

1  GIVE  thanks  unto  Jahve,  for  He  is  good, 
For  His  graciousness  endureth  for  ever. 

2  Who  can  utter  the  mighty  acts  of  Jahve, 
[Who]  make  all  His  praise  to  be  heard  ? 

3  Blessed  are  they  who  keep  the  right, 
He  who  doeth  righteousness  at  all  times. 

4  Remember  me,  Jahve,  at  the  favouring  of  Thy  people. 
Visit  me  with  Thy  help, 

5  That  I  too  may  see  the  prosperity  of  Thy  chosen  ones. 
That  I  too  may  be  glad  at  the  gladness  of  Thy  people, 
That  I  too  may  glory  with  Thine  inheritance. 

6  We  have  sinned  like  unto  our  fathers, 

We  have  committed  iniquity,  we  have  done  wickedly. 

7  Our  fathers  in  Egypt  heeded  not  Thy  wonders, 

They  remembered  not  the  abundance  of  Thy  loving-kind- 
nesses. 
And  were  rebellious  at  the  sea,  at  the  Red  Sea. 


rsALM  cvi.  149 

8  Yet  He  saved  them  for  His  Name's  sake, 
To  make  His  strength  known. 

9  He  rebuked  the  Red  Sea,  and  it  dried  up, 

And  led  them  through  the  floods  as  upon  a  plain ; 

10  And  He  saved  them  out  of  the  hand  of  the  hater, 
And  redeemed  them  out  of  the  hand  of  the  enemy. 

11  The  waters  covered  their  oppressors, 
Not  one  of  them  was  left — 

12  Then  they  believed  His  words, 
They  sang  His  praise. 

13  Tiiey  quickly  forgat  His  works, 
They  waited  not  for  His  counsel. 

14  They  lusted  greedily  in  the  desert, 
x\nd  tempted  God  in  the  wilderness. 

15  Then  Pie  gave  them  their  desire, 
And  sent  consumption  into  their  soul. 

IG  They  manifested  envy  against  Moses  in  the  camp. 
Against  Aaron,  the  holy  one  of  Jahve — 

17  The  earth  opened  and  swallowed  up  Dathan, 
And  covered  the  band  of  Abiram  ; 

18  And  fire  seized  upon  their  band, 
A  flame  consumed  the  evil-doers. 

19  They  made  a  calf  in  Horeb, 

Then  they  worshipped  the  molten  image, 

20  And  they  bartered  their  glory 

For  the  likeness  of  an  ox  that  eateth  grass. 

21  They  had  forgotten  God  their  Saviour, 
Who  did  great  deeds  in  Egypt, 

22  Wondrous  works  in  the  land  of  Ham, 
Terrible  deeds  at  the  lied  Sea. 

23  Then  He  thought  to  exterminate  them, 
Had  not  Moses  His  chosen  one 
Stepped  into  the  breach  before  Him 

To  calm  His  wrath,  that  He  should  not  destroy, 

24  They  despised  the  pleasant  land, 
They  believed  not  His  word. 

25  They  murmured  in  their  tents. 

They  hearkened  not  to  the  voice  of  Jahve. 


150  PSALM  CVI. 

26  Then  He  lifted  up  His  hand  against  them 
To  cast  them  down  in  the  desert, 

27  And  to  disperse  their  seed  among  the  heathen, 
And  to  scatter  them  in  the  lands. 

28  They  joined  themselves  unto  Baal-Peor, 
And  ate  the  sacrifices  for  the  dead, 

29  And  excited  provocation  by  their  doings ; 
And  the  plague  brake  in  among  them. 

30  Then  stood  up  Phinehas  and  arranged, 
And  the  plague  was  stayed. 

31  And  it  was  counted  unto  him  for  righteousness 
Unto  all  generations  for  ever. 

32  Then  they  excited  displeasure  at  the  waters  of  strife, 
And  it  went  ill  with  Moses  for  their  sakes. 

33  For  they  rebelled  against  God's  Spirit, 
And  he  erred  with  his  lips. 

34  Tiiey  did  not  exterminate  the  peoples 
Which  Jahve  had  said  to  them  ; 

35  But  mixed  themselves  among  the  heathen, 
And  learned  their  works. 

36  They  served  their  idols. 

And  they  became  to  them  a  snare. 

37  They  sacrificed  their  sons  and  their  daughters  to  demons, 

38  And  shed  innocent  blood. 

The  blood  of  their  sons  and  their  daughters, 
Whom  they  sacrificed  to  the  idols  of  Canaan, 
So  that  the  land  was  polluted  by  blood-guiltiness. 

39  They  became  impure  by  their  works. 
And  became  fornicators  by  their  doings. 

40  Then  was  the  wrath  of  Jahve  kindled  against  His 

people, 
And  He  abhorred  His  own  inheritance. 

41  He  gave  them  over  into  the  hand  of  the  heathen, 
And  their  haters  became  their  oppressors. 

42  Their  enemies  oppressed  them, 

And  they  were  obliged  to  bow  down  under  their  hand. 

43  Many  times  did  He  rescue  them, 
Yet  they  rebelled  in  their  self-will — • 
Then  they  perished  in  their  iniquity. 


PSALM  CVI.  151 

44  But  lie  saw  how  hard  it  went  with  them, 
AVhen  He  heaicl  their  cry  of  grief. 

45  Pie  remembered  for  them  His  covenant, 

And  had  compassion  according  to  the  abundance  of   His 
mercies. 

46  And  He  caused  them  to  be  compassionated 

In  the  presence  of  all  who  carried  them  into  captivity. 

47  Save  us,  Jahve  our  God, 

And  bring  us  together  out  of  the  heathen, 
To  give  thanks  unto  Thy  holy  Name, 
And  to  glory  in  Thy  praise. 

48  Blessed  be  Jahve  the  God  of  Israel  from  ever- 

lasting TO  EVERLASTING, 
And  LET  ALL  PEOPLE  SAY  x\mEN  ! 

Hallelujah  ! ! 

With  this  anonymous  Psalm  begins  the  series  of  the  strictly 
Hallelujah-Psalms,  i.e.  of  those  Psalms  which  have  n^n^^n  for 
their  arsis-like  beginning  and  for  their  inscription  (cvi.,  cxi.- 
cxiii.,  cxvii.,  cxxxv.,  cxlvi.-cl.).  The  chronicler  in  his  cento, 
1  Chron.  xvi.  8  sqq.,  and  in  fact  in  ch.  xvi.  34-36,  puts  the 
first  and  last  verses  of  this  Psalm  (vers.  1,  47),  together  with 
the  Beracha  (ver.  48)  which  closes  the  Fourth  Book  of  the 
Psalms,  into  the  mouth  of  David,  from  which  it  is  to  be  in- 
ferred that  this  Psalm  is  no  more  Maccaboean  than  Ps.  xcvi. 
and  cv.  (which  see),  and  that  the  Psalter  was  divided  into 
five  books  which  were  marked  off  by  the  doxologies  even  in 
the  time  of  the  chronicler.  The  Beracha,  ver.  48,  appears 
even  at  that  period  to  have  been  read  as  an  integral  part  of 
the  Psalm,  according  to  liturgical  usage.  The  Hallelujah  Ps. 
cvi.,  like  the  Hodu  Ps.  cv.  and  the  Asaph  Ps.  Ixxviii.,  recapi- 
tulates the  history  of  the  olden  times  of  the  Israelitish  nation. 
But  the  purpose  and  mode  of  the  recapitulation  differ  in  eacli 
of  these  three  Psalms.  In  Ps.  Ixxviii.  it  is  didactic ;  in  Ps.  cv. 
hymnic  ;  and  here  in  Ps.  cvi.  penitential.  It  is  a  penitential 
Psalm,  or  Psalm  of  confession,  a  '^^1  (from  n^inn  to  confess. 
Lev.  xvi.  21).  The  oldest  types  of  such  liturgical  prayers  are 
the  two  formularies  at  the  offering  of  the  first-fruits,  Deut.  ch. 
xxvi.,  and  Solomon's  prayer  at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple, 
1  KintTs  ch.  viii.     And   to  this  kind  of  tepldllay  the   Vidduj, 


152  PSALM  CVI.  1-5. 

belong,  beyond  the  range  of  the  Psalter,  the  prayer  of  Daniel, 
ch.  ix.  (vid.  the  way  in  which  it  is  introduced  in  ver.  4),  and 
the  prayer  (Xeh.  ix.  5-x.  1  [ix.  38])  which  eight  Levites  uttered 
in  the  name  of  the  people  at  the  celebration  of  the  fast-day 
on  the  twenty-fourth  of  Tishri.  It  is  true  Ps.  cvi.  is  distin- 
guished from  these  prayers  of  confession  in  the  prose  style  as 
being  a  Psalm  ;  but  it  has  three  points  in  common  with  them 
and  with  the  liturgical  tephilla  in  general,  viz.  (1)  the  fond- 
ness for  inflexional  rhyming,  i.e.  for  rhyming  terminations 
of  the  same  suffixes ;  (2)  the  heaping  up  of  synonyms  ;  and 
(3)  the  unfolding  of  the  thoughts  in  a  continuous  line.  These 
three  peculiarities  are  found  not  only  in  the  liturgical  border, 
vers.  1-6,  47,  but  also  in  the  middle  historical  portion,  which 
forms  the  bulk  of  the  Psalm.  The  law  of  parallelism  is,  it  is 
true,  still  observed  ;  but  apart  from  these  distichic  wave-like 
ridges  of  the  thoughts,  it  is  all  one  direct,  straight-line  flow 
without  technical  division. 

Vers.  1-5.  The  Psalm  begins  with  the  liturgical  call, 
which  was  not  coined  for  the  first  time  in  the  Maccabsean  age 
(1  Mace.  iv.  24),  but  was  already  in  use  in  Jeremiah's  time 
(ch.  xxxiii.  11).  The  LXX.  appropriately  renders  niD  by 
^p7;o-T09,  for  God  is  called  "  good"  not  so  much  in  respect  of 
His  nature  as  of  the  revelation  of  Plis  nature.  The  fulness  of 
this  revelation,  says  ver.  2  (like  xl.  6),  is  inexhaustible.  011^23 
are  the  manifestations  of  His  all-conquering  power  which 
makes  everything  subservient  to  His  redemptive  purposes  (xx. 
7) ;  and  n?nn  is  the  glory  (praise  or  celebration)  of  His  self- 
attestation  in  history.  The  proclaiming  of  these  on  the  part 
of  man  can  never  be  an  exhaustive  echo  of  them.  In  ver.  3 
the  poet  tells  what  is  the  character  of  those  who  experience 
such  manifestations  of  God  ;  and  to  the  assertion  of  the  blessed- 
ness of  these  men  he  appends  the  petition  in  ver.  4,  that  God 
would  grant  him  a  share  in  the  experiences  of  the  whole  nation 
which  is  the  object  of  these  manifestations.  TSV  beside  P^'l^ 
is  a  genitive  of  the  object :  with  the  pleasure  which  Thou 
turnest  towards  Thy  people,  i.e.  when  Thou  again  (cf.  ver.  47) 
showest  Thyself  gracious  unto  them.  On  "ii^3  cf.  viii.  5,  Ixxx. 
15,  and  on  3  nxn,  Jer.  xxix.  32  ;  a  similar  Beth  is  that  beside 
r5b"J'p  (at,  on  account  of,  not :  in  connection  with),  xxi.  2,  cxxii. 


PSALM  CVI.  G-I2.  153 

1.  God's  "  inheritance"  is  His  people  ;  the  name  for  them  is 
varied  four  times,  and  thereby  '13  is  also  exceptionally  brought 
into  use,  as  in  Zeph.  ii.  9. 

Vers.  6-12.  The  key-note  of  the  vidduj,  which  is  a 
settled  expression  since  1  Kings  viii.  47  (Dan.  ix.  5,  cf.  Bar. 
ii.  12),  makes  itself  heard  here  in  ver.  6  ;  Israel  is  bearing  at 
this  time  the  punishment  of  its  sins,  by  which  it  has  made  itself 
like  its  forefathers.  In  this  needy  and  helpless  condition  the 
poet,  who  all  along  speaks  as  a  member  of  the  assembly,  takes 
the  way  of  the  confession  of  sin,  which  leads  to  the  forgiveness 
of  sin  and  to  the  removal  of  the  punishment  of  sin.  V^Tl, 
1  Kings  viii.  47,  signifies  to  be,  and  the  Hiph.  to  prove  one's 
self  to  be,  a  y^"].  Qy  in  ver.  6  is  equivalent  to  (gque  ac,  as  in 
Eccles.  ii.  16,  Job  ix.  26.  With  ver.  7  the  retrospect  begins. 
The  fathers  contended  with  Moses  and  Aaron  in  Egypt  (Ex. 
v.  21),  and  gave  no  heed  to  the  prospect  of  redemption  (Ex, 
vi.  9).  The  miraculous  judgments  which  Moses  executed  (Ex. 
iii.  20)  had  no  more  effect  in  bringing  them  to  a  right  state  of 
mind,  and  the  abundant  tokens  of  loving-kindness  (Isa.  Ixiii.  7) 
amidst  which  God  redeemed  them  made  so  little  impression  or. 
their  memories  that  they  began  to  despair  and  to  murmur  even 
at  the  Red  Sea  (Ex.  xiv.  11  sq.).  With  bv,  ver.  7b,  alternates  2 
(as  in  Ezek.  x.  15,  l'!'??)  ;  cf.  the  alternation  of  prepositions  in 
Joel  iv.  Sb.  When  they  behaved  thus,  Jahve  miglit  have  left 
their  redemption  unaccomplished,  but  out  of  unmerited  mercy 
He  nevertheless  redeemed  them.  Vers.  8-11  are  closely  de- 
pendent upon  Ex.  ch.  xiv.  Ver.  lib  is  a  transposition  (cf. 
xxxiv.  21,  Isa.  xxxiv.  16)  from  Ex.  xiv.  28.  On  the  other 
hand,  ver.  9b  is  taken  out  of  Isa.  Ixiii.  13  (cf.  Wisd.  xix.  9)  ; 
Isa.  Ixiii.  7-lxiv.  is  a  prayer  for  redemption  which  has  a  similar 
ground-colouring.  The  sea  through  which  they  passed  is  called, 
as  in  the  Tora,  ^1D"D^,  which  seems,  according  to  Ex.  ii.  3,  Isa. 
xix.  3,  to  signify  the  sea  of  reed  or  sedge,  although  the  sedge 
does  not  grow  in  the  Red  Sea  itself,  but  only  on  the  marshy 
places  of  the  coast ;  but  it  can  also  signify  the  sea  of  sea-weed, 
7nare  alc/osiim,  after  the  Egyptian   sippe,  wool  and   sea-weed 

(just  as  , ;^  also  signifies  both  these).    The  word  is  certainly 

Egyptian,  whether  it  is  to  be  referred  back  to  the  Egyptian 
word  sippe  (sea- weed)  or  sSbe  (sedge),  and  is  therefore  used 


154  PSALM  CVI.  13-23. 

after  the  manner  of  a  proper  name ;  so  that  the  inference  drawn 
by  Knobel  on  Ex.  xiii.  18  from  the  absence  of  the  article,  that 
tjiD  is  the  name  of  a  town  on  the  northern  point  of  the  gulf,  is 
groundless.  The  miracle  at  the  sea  of  sedge  or  sea-weed — as 
ver.  12  says — also  was  not  without  effect.  Ex.  xiv.  31  tells  us 
that  they  believed  on  Jahve  and  Moses  His  servant,  and  the 
song  which  they  sang  follows  in  Ex.  ch.  xv.  But  they  then 
only  too  quickly  added  sins  of  ingratitude. 

Vers.  13-23.  The  first  of  the  principal  sins  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Red  Sea  was  the  unthankful,  impatient,  unbelieving 
murmuring  about  their  meat  and  drink,  vers.  13-15.  For  what 
ver.  13  places  foremost  was  the  root  of  the  whole  evil,  that, 
falling  away  from  faith  in  God's  promise,  they  forgot  the  works 
of  God  which  had  been  wrought  in  confirmation  of  it,  and  did 
not  wait  for  the  carrying  out  of  His  counsel.  The  poet  has 
before  his  eye  the  murmuring  for  water  on  the  third  day  after 
the  miraculous  deliverance  (Ex.  xv.  22-24)  and  in  Rephidim 
(Ex.  xvii.  2).  Then  the  murmuring  for  flesh  in  the  first  and 
second  years  of  the  exodus  which  was  followed  by  the  sending 
of  the  quails  (Ex.  ch.  xvi.  and  Num.  ch.  xi.),  together  with  the 
wrathful  judgment  by  which  the  murmuring  for  the  second 
time  was  punished  {Kibroth  ha-Taavah,  Num.  xi.  33-35). 
This  dispensation  of  wrath  the  poet  calls  pH  (LXX.,  Vulgate, 
and  Syriac  erroneously  TrXtja-fiovriv^  perhaps  iifO,  nourishment), 
inasmuch  as  he  interprets  Num.  xi.  33-35  of  a  wasting  disease, 
which  swept  away  the  people  in  consequence  of  eating  inordi- 
nately of  the  flesh,  and  in  the  expression  (cf.  Ixxviii.  31)  he 
closely  follows  Isa.  x.  16.  The  "counsel"  of  God  for  which 
they  would  not  wait,  is  His  plan  with  respect  to  the  time  and 
manner  of  the  help,  nan^  root  c)o^,  a  weaker  power  of  ^_^j 
whence  also  J.C=^,  i.  180,  ^:>-,  i.  84  note,  signifies  prop,  to 

make  firm,  e.g.  a  knot  (cf.  on  xxxiii.  20),  and  starting  from  this 
(without  the  intervention  of  the  metaphor  moras  nectere,  as 
Schultens  thinks)  is  transferred  to  a  firm  bent  of  mind,  and 
the  tension  of  long  expectation.  The  epigrammatic  expression 
mxn  ^ixri*1  (plural  of  '^^'^''\  xlv.  12,  for  which  codices,  as  also  in 
Prov.  xxiii.  3,  6,  xxiv.  1,  the  Complutensian,  Venetian  1521, 
Elias  Levita,  and  Baer  have  "iN*n"'1  without  the  tonic  lengthening) 
is  taken  from  Num.  xi.  4. 


PSALM  CVI.  24-33.  155 

The  second  principal  sin  was  the  insurrection  against  thc-ii- 
superiors,  vers.  16-18.  The  poet  has  Num.  ch.  xvi.  xvii.  in 
liis  eye.  The  rebellious  ones  were  swallowed  up  by  the  earth, 
and  their  two  hundred  and  fifty  noble,  non-Levite  partisans 
consumed  by  fire.  The  fact  that  the  poet  does  not  mention 
Korali  among  those  who  were  swallowed  up  is  in  perfect 
harmony  with  Num.  xvi.  25  sqq.,  Deut.  xi.  6;  cf.  however 
Num.  xxvi.  10.  The  elliptical  nrisn  in  ver.  17  is  explained 
from  Num.  xvi.  32,  xxvi.  10. 

The  third  principal  sin  was  the  worship  of  the  calf,  vers. 
19-23.  The  poet  here  glances  back  at  Ex.  ch.  xxxii.,  but  uot 
without  at  the  same  time  having  Deut.  ix.  8-12  in  his  mind ; 
for  the  expression  "  in  Horeb  "  is  Deuteronomic,  e.g.  Deut.  iv. 
15,  V.  2,  and  frequently.  Ver.  20  is  also  based  upon  the  Book 
of  Deuteronomy :  they  exchanged  their  glory,  i.e.  the  God  who 
was  their  distinction  before  all  peoples  according  to  Deut.  iv, 
6-8,  x.  21  (cf.  also  Jer.  ii.  11),  for  the  likeness  (n^J^n)  of  a 
plough-ox  (for  this  is  pre-eminently  called  liu',  in  the  dialects 
"lin),  contrary  to  the  prohibition  in  Deut.  iv.  17.  On  ver.  21a 
cf.  the  warning  in  Deut.  \'i.  12.  "  Land  of  Cham  "  =  Egypt, 
as  in  Ixxviii.  51,  cv.  23,  27.  With  lONM  in  ver.  23  the  expres- 
sion becomes  again  Deuteronomic :  Deut.  ix.  25,  cf.  Ex.  xxxii. 
10.  God  made  and  also  expressed  the  resolve  to  destroy  Israel. 
Then  Moses  stepped  into  the  gap  (before  the  gap),  i.e.  as  it 
were  covered  the  breach,  inasmuch  as  he  placed  himself  in  it 
and  exposed  his  own  life ;  cf.  on  the  fact,  besides  Ex.  ch.  xxxii., 
also  Deut.  ix.  18  sq.,  x.  10,  and  on  the  expression,  Ezek.  xxii. 
30  and  also  Jer.  xviii.  20. 

Vers.  24-33.  The  fact  to  which  the  poet  refers  iu  ver.  24, 
viz.  the  rebellion  in  consequence  of  the  report  of  the  spies, 
which  he  brings  forward  as  the  fourth  principal  sin,  is  narrated 
in  Num.  ch.  xiii.,  xiv.  The  appellation  H'lpn  }*nx  is  also  found 
in  Jer.  iii.  19,  Zech.  vii.  14.  As  to  the  rest,  the  expression  is 
altogether  Pentateuchal.  "  They  despised  the  land,"  after 
Num.  xiv.  31 ;  "they  murmured  in  their  tents,"  after  Deut.  i. 
27;  <'to  lift  up  the  hand"  =  to  swear,  after  Ex.  vi.  8,  Deut. 
xxxii.  40 ;  the  threat  yp\^^,  to  make  them  fall  down,  fall  away, 
after  Num.  xiv.  29,  32.  The  threat  of  exile  is  founded  upon 
the  two  great  threatening  chapters.  Lev.  xxvi.,  Deut.  xxviii. ;  cf . 
more  particularly  Lev.  xxvi.  33  (together  with  the  echoes  iu 


156  rSAUI  CVI.  21-33, 

Ezek.  V.  12,  xii.  14,  etc.),  Deut.  xxviii.  64  (together  with  the 
echoes  in  Jer.  ix.  15,  Ezek.  xxii.  15,  etc.).  Ezek.  xx.  23  stands 
in  a  not  accidental  relationship  to  ver.  26  sq. ;  and  according  to 
that  passage,  b''Dn?l  is  an  error  of  the  copyist  for  T^C?''  (Hitzig). 
Now  follows  in  ver.  28-31  the  fifth  of  the  principal  sins, 
viz.  the  taking  part  in  the  Moabitish  worship  of  Baal.  The 
verb  ^^yi  (to  be  bound  or  chained),  taken  from  Num.  xxv.  3,  5, 
points  to  the  prostitution  with  which  Baal  Peor,  this  Moabitish 
Priapus,  was  worshipped.  The  sacrificial  feastings  in  which, 
according  to  Num.  xxv.  2,  they  took  part,  are  called  eating  the 
sacrifices  of  the  dead,  because  the  idols  are  dead  beings  (ye/cpot, 
Wisd.  xiii.  10-18)  as  opposed  to  God,  the  living  One.  The 
catena  on  Apoc.  ii.  14  correctly  interprets :  ra  toU  etScoXot? 
reXeadevra  Kpea.*  The  object  of  "they  made  angry"  is 
omitted ;  the  author  is  fond  of  this,  cf.  vers.  7  and  32.  The 
expression  in  ver.  29i  is  like  Ex.  xix.  24.  The  verb  ^Cly  is 
chosen  with  reference  to  Num.  xvii.  13  [xvi.  48].  The  result 
is  expressed  in  ver.  306  after  Num.  xxv.  8,  18  sq.,  xvii.  13 
[xvi.  48].  With  ??S,  to  adjust,  to  judge  adjustingly  (LXX., 
Vulgate,  correctly  according  to  the  sense,  i^iXdaaTo),  the  poet 
associates  the  thought  of  the  satisfaction  due  to  divine  right, 
which  Phinehas  executed  with  the  javelin.  This  act  of  zeal 
for  Jahve,  which  compensated  for  Israel's  unfaithfulness,  was 
accounted  unto  him  for  righteousness,  by  his  being  rewarded 
for  it  with  the  priesthood  unto  everlasting  ages.  Num.  xxv. 
10-13.  This  accounting  of  a  work  for  righteousness  is  only 
apparently  contradictory  to  Gen.  xv.  5  sq. :  it  was  indeed  an 
act  which  sprang  from  a  constancy  in  faith,  and  one  which 
obtained  for  him  the  acceptation  of  a  righteous  man  for  the 
sake  of  this  upon  which  it  was  based,  by  proving  him  to  be 
such. 


*  In  the  second  section  of  Abvda  zara,  on  the  words  of  the  Mishna: 
"The  flesh  -which  is  intended  to  be  offered  first  of  all  to  idols  is  allowed, 
but  that  which  comes  out  of  the  temple  is  forbidden,  because  it  is  like 
sacrifices  of  the  dead,"  it  is  observed,  fol.  32?; :  "  Whence,  said  R.  Jehuda 
ben  Bethera,  do  I  know  that  that  which  is  offered  to  idols  (muy^  nnilpn 
niT)  pollutes  like  a  dead  body?  From  Ps.  cvi.  28.  As  the  dead  body- 
pollutes  everything  that  is  under  the  same  roof  with  it,  so  also  does  every- 
thing that  is  offered  to  idols."  The  Apostle  Paul  declares  the  objectivity 
of  this  DoUution  to  be  vain,  cf.  more  particularly  1  Cor.  x.  28  sq. 


\ 


PSALM  CVI.  31-43.  157 

In  vers.  32,  33  follows  the  sixth  of  the  pilncipal  sins,  viz. 
the  insurrection  against  Moses  and  Aaron  at  the  waters  of 
strife  in  the  fortieth  year,  in  connection  with  which  Moses 
forfeited  the  entrance  with  them  into  the  Land  of  Promise 
(Num.  XX.  11  sq.,  Deut.  i.  37,  xxxii.  51),  since  he  suffered 
himself  to  be  carried  away  by  the  persevering  obstinacy  of  the 
people  against  the  Spirit  of  God  {^ip>}  mostly  providing  the 
future  for  nno^  as  in  vers.  7,  43,  Ixxviii.  17,  40,  5ii,  of  obstinacy 
against  God;  on  imiTlS  of.  Isa.  Ixiii.  10)  into  uttering  the 
words  addressed  to  the  people.  Num.  xx,  10,  in  which,  as  the 
smiting  of  the  rock  which  was  twice  repeated  shows,  is  ex- 
pressed impatience  together  with  a  tinge  of  unbelief.  The 
poet  distinguishes,  as  does  the  narrative  in  Num.  ch.  xx., 
between  the  obstinacy  of  the  people  and  the  transgression  of 
Moses,  which  is  there  designated,  according  to  that  which  lay 
at  the  root  of  it,  as  unbelief.  The  retrospective  reference  to 
Num.  xxvii.  14  needs  adjustment  accordingly. 

Vers.  34-43.  The  sins  in  Canaan  :  the  failing  to  extermi- 
nate the  idolatrous  peoples  and  sharing  in  their  idolatry.  In 
ver.  34  the  poet  appeals  to  the  command,  frequently  enjoined 
upon  them  from  Ex.  xxiii.  32  sq.  onwards,  to  extirpate  the 
inhabitants  of  Canaan.  Since  they  did  not  execute  this  com- 
mand (yid.  Judg.  ch.  i.-iii.  6),  that  which  it  was  intended  to 
prevent  came  to  pass :  the  heathen  became  to  them  a  snare 
{^VP),  Ex.  xxiii.  33,  xxxiv.  12,  Deut.  vii.  16.  They  inter- 
married with  them,  and  fell  into  the  Canaanitish  custom  in 
which  the  abominations  of  heathenism  culminate,  viz.  the 
human  sacrifice,  which  Jahve  abhorreth  (Deut.  xii.  31),  and 
only  the  demons  (D'l?^,  Deut.  xxxii.  17)  delight  in.  Thus  then 
the  land  was  defiled  by  blood-guiltiness  (^^n,  Num.  xxv.  33, 
cf.  Isa.  xxiv.  5,  xxvi.  21),  and  they  themselves  became  unclean 
(Ezek.  XX.  43)  by  the  whoredom  of  idolatry.  In  vers.  40-43 
the  poet  (as  in  Neh.  ix.  26  sqq.)  sketches  the  alternation  of 
apostasy,  captivity,  redemption,  and  relapse  which  followed 
upon  the  possession  of  Canaan,  and  more  especially  that  which 
characterized  the  period  of  the  judges.  God's  "  counsel "  was 
to  make  Israel  free  and  glorious,  but  they  leaned  upon  them- 
selves, following  their  own  intentions  (°nyi;3) ;  wherefore  they 
perished  in  their  sins.  The  poet  uses  ^30  (to  sink  down,  fail 
away)  instead  of  the  p03  (to  moulder,  rot)  of  the  primary  pas- 


158  PSALM  CVI.  44-48. 

sage,  Lev.  xxvi.  39,  retained  in  Ezek.  xxiv.  23,  xxxiii.  10,  which 
is  no  blunder  (Hitzig),  but  a  deliberate  change. 

Vers.  44-46.  The  poet's  range  of  vision  here  widens  from 
the  time  of  the  judges  to  the  history  of  the  whole  of  the  suc- 
ceeding age  down  to  the  present;  for  the  whole  history  of 
Israel  has  essentially  the  same  fundamental  character,  viz.  that 
Israel's  unfaithfulness  does  not  annul  God's  faithfulness.  That 
verifies  itself  even  now.  That  which  Solomon  in  1  Kings  viii. 
50  prays  for  on  behalf  of  his  people  when  they  may  be  betrayed 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  has  been  fulfilled  in  the  case  of 
the  dispersion  of  Israel  in  all  countries  (cvii.  3),  Babylonia, 
Egypt,  etc. :  God  has  turned  the  hearts  of  their  oppressors 
towards  them.  On  2  ns"i,  to  regard  compassionately,  cf.  Gen. 
xxix.  32,  1  Sam.  i.  11.  Dnb  "iSfa  belong  together,  as  in  cvii.  6, 
and  frequently,  np  is  a  cry  of  lamentation,  as  in  1  Kings  viii. 
28  in  Solomon's  prayer  at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple.  From 
this  source  comes  ver.  6,  and  also  from  this  source  ver.  46,  cf. 
1  Kings  viii.  50  together  with  Neh.  i.  11.  In  Dri3*l  the  draw- 
ing back  of  the  tone  does  not  take  place,  as  in  Gen.  xxiv.  67. 
non  beside  3^3  is  not  pointed  by  the  Ke7i  i^pn,  as  in  v.  8,  Ixix. 
14,  but  as  in  Lam.  iii.  32,  according  to  ver.  7,  Isa.  Ixiii.  7,  nDn  .- 
in  accordance  with  the  fulness  (riches)  of  His  manifold  mercy 
or  loving-kindness.  The  expression  in  ver.  46  is  like  Gen. 
xliii."  14.  Although  the  condition  of  the  poet's  fellow-country- 
men in  the  dispersion  may  have  been  tolerable  in  itself,  yet  this 
involuntary  scattering  of  the  members  of  the  nation  is  always 
a  state  of  punishment.  The  poet  prays  in  ver.  47  that  God 
may  be  pleased  to  put  an  end  to  this. 

Ver.  47.  He  has  now  reached  the  goal,  to  which  his  whole 
Psalm  struggles  forth,  by  the  way  of  self-accusation  and  the 
praise  of  the  faithfulness  of  God.  ns'liV*''?  (found  only  here)  is 
the  reflexive  of  the  Fiel,  to  account  happy,  Eccles.  iv.  2,  there- 
fore :  in  order  that  we  may  esteem  ourselves  happy  to  be  able 
to  praise  Thee.  In  this  reflexive  (and  also  passive)  sense 
nin^'T]  is  customary  in  Aramaic  and  post-biblical  Hebrew. 

Ver.  48.  The  closing  doxology  of  the  Fourth  Book.  The 
chronicler  has  ^""2N1  before  ver.  47  (which  with  him  differs  only 
very  slightly),  an  indispensable  rivet,  so  to  speak,  in  the  fitting 
together  of  cvi.  1  (cvii.  1)  and  cvi.  47.  The  means  this 
historian,  who  joins  passages  together  like  mosaic-work,  calls 


PSALM  CVI    18.  I5i 

to  his  aid  are  palpable  enourrh.  He  has  also  taken  over  ver.  48 
by  transforming  and  let  all  the  people  say  Amen,  Hallelujah! 
in  accordance  with  his  style  (cf.  1  Chron.  xxv.  3,  2  Chron.  v. 
13,  and  frequently,  Ezra  iii.  11),  into  an  historical  clause:  licx'^ 
^i^"'?  ^.^l"!  iP'^  ^W^^-  Hitzig,  by  regarding  the  echoes  of  the 
Psalms  in  the  chronicler  as  the  originals  of  the  corresponding 
Psalms  in  the  Psalter,  and  consequently  1  Chron.  xvi.  30  as  the 
original  of  the  Beracha  placed  after  our  Psalm,  reverses  the 
true  relation  ;  vid.  with  reference  to  this  point,  Rielnn  in  the 
Theolog.  Liter  at.  Blatt,  186G,  No.  30,  and  Kohler  in  the  Luther. 
Zeitschrift,  1867,  S.  297  ff.  The  priority  of  Ps.  cvi.  is  clear 
from  the  fact  that  ver.  1  gives  a  liturgical  key-note  that  was  in 
use  even  in  Jeremiah's  time  (ch.  xxxiii.  11),  and  that  ver.  47 
reverts  to  the  tephilla-style  of  the  introit,  vers.  4  sq.  And  the 
priority  of  ver.  48  as  a  concluding  formula  of  the  Fourth  Book 
is  clear  from  the  fact  that  it  has  been  fashioned,  like  that  of 
the  Second  Book  (Ixxii.  18  sq.),  under  the  influence  of  the 
foregoing  Psalm.  The  Hallelujah  is  an  echo  of  the  Hallelujah- 
Psalm,  just  as  there  the  Jahve  Eloldm  is  an  echo  of  the  Elohim- 
Psalm.  And  "let  all  the  people  say  Amen"  is  the  same 
closing  thought  as  in  ver.  6  of  Ps.  cl.,  which  is  made  into  the 
closing  doxology  of  the  whole  Psalter.  'Aixriv  aXkrfKovla  to- 
gether (Apoc.  xix.  4)  is  a  laudatory  confirmation. 


FIFTH  BOOK  OF  THE   PSALTEK. 
Ps.  CVII.-CL. 

PSALM    CVII. 

AN  ADMONITION  TO  FELLOW-COUNTRYMEN  TO  RENDER 
THANKS  ON  ACCOUNT  OF  HAVING  GOT  THE  BETTER 
OF  CALAMITIES. 

1  "  GIVE  tlianks  unto  Jahve,  for  He  is  good, 
For  His  loving-kindness  endureth  for  ever," 

2  Let  the  redeemed  of  Jahve  say, 

Whom  He  hath  redeemed  out  of  the  hand  of  oppression 

3  And  gathered  out  of  the  lands, 

From  the  east  and  from  the  west,  from  the  north  and 
from  the  sea. 

4  They  wandered  in  the  desert  in  a  waste  of  a  way, 
They  found  not  a  city  of  habitation. 

5  Under  hunger  and  thirst 
Their  soul  fainted  in  them. 

6  Then  they  cried  unto  Jahve  in  their  trouble- 
Out  of  their  distresses  He  delivered  them, 

7  And  led  them  by  a  right  way 

To  arrive  at  a  city  of  habitation. — 

8  Let  them  praise  to  Jahve  His  loving-kindness^ 
And  His  li'ouders  to  the  children  of  men, 

9  That  He  iiath  satisfied  the  thirsty  soul, 
And  filled  the  hungry  soul  with  good. 

10  Those  who  dwelt  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death, 
Being  bound  in  torture  and  iron, 

11  Because  they  rebelled  against  the  words  of  God 
And  derided  the  counsel  of  the  Most  High, 

ICO 


PSALM  CVII.  161 

12  And  He  lunubled  their  heart  by  labour, 
They  fell  down,  and  there  was  none  to  help. 

13  Then  they  cried  unto  Jahve  in  their  trouble — 
Out  of  their  distresses  He  saved  them ; 

14  He  led  them  forth  out  of  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death, 
And  burst  their  bonds  asunder. 

15  Let  them  praise  to  Jahve  His  goodness, 
A  nd  His  loonders  to  the  children  of  men, 

16  That  He  hath  broken  in  pieces  the  brazen  doors 
And  smitten  down  the  iron  bars. 

17  The  foolish,  on  account  of  the  way  of  their  transgression, 
And  on  account  of  their  iniquity,  had  to  suffer. 

18  All  food  their  soul  abhorred. 

And  they  drew  near  to  the  gates  of  death. 

19  Then  they  cried  unto  Jahve  in  their  trouble — 
Out  of  their  distresses  He  saved  them. 

20  He  sent  His  word  and  healed  them, 

And  caused  them  to  escape  out  of  their  pit- falls. 

2 1  Let  them  praise  to  Jahve  His  goodness, 
And  His  wonders  to  the  children  of  men, 

22  And  let  them  sacrifice  sacrifices  of  thanksgiving 
And  declare  His  works  with  a  shout  of  joy. 

23  Those  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships. 
Who  do  business  in  great  waters — 

24  These  have  seen  the  woi'ks  of  Jahve, 
And  His  wonders  in  the  deep. 

25  He  spake  and  raised  a  stormy  wind, 
Which  forced  up  its  waves  on  high. 

26  They  went  up  towards  heaven,  they  went  down  into  the 
Their  soul  was  melted  in  trouble.  [depths, 

27  They  whirled  and  staggered  like  a  drunken  man, 
And  all  their  wisdom  came  of  itself  to  nought. 

28  Then  they  cried  unto  Jahve  in  their  troidtle, 
And  out  of  their  distresses  He  brought  them  forth. 

29  He  changed  the  storm  into  a  gentle  breeze, 
And  their  waves  were  still. 

30  Then  were  they  glad  that  they  were  abated, 
And  He  led  thern  to  the  haven  of  their  desire. 

VOL.  III.  11 


162  PSALM  CVII. 

31  Let  them  praise  to  Jahve  His  goodness^ 
And  His  wonders  to  the  children  of  men, 

32  And  let  them  exalt  Him  in  the  congregation  of  the  people, 
And  praise  Him  in  the  council  of  the  elders. 

33  lie  changed  rivers  into  a  desert 
And  water-springs  into  drought, 

34  A  fruitful  land  into  a  salt-plain, 

Because  of  the  wickedness  of  those  who  dwelt  therein. 

35  He  changed  the  desert  into  a  pool  of  water, 
And  the  dry  land  into  water-springs ; 

36  And  made  the  hungry  to  dwell  there. 
And  they  built  a  city  of  habitation. 

37  They  sowed  fields  and  planted  vineyards, 
And  obtained  profitable  fruit. 

38  He  blessed  them  and  they  multiplied  greatly, 
And  their  cattle  He  made  into  not  a  few. 

39  Then  they  became  few  and  were  reduced 
By  the  pressure  of  misfortune  and  sorrow — 

iO  He  who  poureth  contempt  on  princes 

And  causeth  them  to  wander  in  the  pathless  waste : 

41  He  removed  the  needy  out  of  the  way  of  affliction, 
And  made  the  families  like  a  flock. 

42  The  upright  see  it  and  rejoice, 

And  all  knavery  stoppeth  its  mouth. 

*  *  * 

43  Whoso  is  wise  let  him  observe  these  things. 

And  let  them  consider  the  loving-kindnesses  of  Jahve ! 

With  this  Psalm  begins  the  Fifth  Book,  the  Book  D^mn  nbn 
of  the  Psalter.  With  Ps.  cvi.  closed  the  Fourth  Book,  or  the 
Book  nmn3,  the  first  Psalm  of  which,  Ps.  xc,  bewailed  the 
manifestation  of  God's  wrath  in  the  case  of  the  generation  of 
the  desert,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  prevailing  death  took 
refuge  in  God  the  eternal  and  unchangeable  One.  Ps.  cvi., 
which  closes  the  book,  has  "13*]'??  (vers.  14,  2(5)  as  its  favourite 
word,  and  makes  confession  of  the  sins  of  Israel  on  the  way 
to  Canaan.  Now,  just  as  at  the  beginning  of  the  Book  of 
Deuteronomy  Israel  stands  on  the  threshold  of  the  Land  of 


PSALM  CVII.  163 

Promise,  after  the  two  tribes  and  a  half  have  ah-eady  estab- 
lislied  themselves  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan,  so  at  the 
beginning  of  this  Fifth  Book  of  the  Psalter  we  see  Israel  re- 
stored to  the  soil  of  its  fatherland.  There  it  is  the  Israel 
redeemed  out  of  Egypt,  here  it  is  the  Israel  redeemed  out  of  the 
lands  of  the  Exile.  There  the  lawgiver  once  more  admonishes 
Israel  to  yield  the  obedience  of  love  to  the  Law  of  Jahve,  here 
the  psalmist  calls  upon  Israel  to  show  gratitude  towards  Him, 
who  has  redeemed  it  from  exile  and  distress  and  death. 

"VVe  must  not  therefore  be  surprised  if  Ps.  cvi.  and  cvii.  are 
closely  connected,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  boundary  of  the 
two  Books  lies  between  them.  "  Ps.  cvii.  stands  in  close  rela- 
tionship to  Ps.  cvi.  The  similarity  of  the  beginning  at  once 
points  back  to  this  Psalm.  Thanks  are  here  given  in  ver.  3  for 
what  was  there  desired  in  ver.  47.  The  praise  of  the  Lord 
which  was  promised  in  Ps.  cvi.  47  in  the  case  of  redemption 
being  vouchsafed,  is  here  presented  to  Him  after  redemption 
vouchsafed."  This  observation  of  Hengstenberg  is  fully  con- 
firmed. The  Psalms  civ.-cvii.  really  to  a  certain  extent  form 
a  tetralogy.  Ps.  civ.  derives  its  material  from  the  history  of 
the  creation,  Ps.  cv.  from  the  preparatory  and  early  history  of 
Israel,  Ps.  cvi.  from  the  history  of  Israel  in  Egypt,  in  the 
desert,  and  in  the  Land  of  Promise  down  to  the  Exile,  and 
Ps.  cvii.  from  the  time  of  the  restoration. 

Nevertheless  the  connection  of  Ps.  civ.  with  cv.-cvii.  is  by 
far  not  so  close  as  that  of  these  three  Psalms  among  them- 
selves. These  three  anonymous  Psalms  form  a  trilogy  in  the 
strictest  sense ;  they  are  a  tripartite  whole  from  the  hand  of  one 
author.  The  observation  is  an  old  one.  The  ITarpffe  Davids 
mit  Teutsclien  Saiten  hespannet  (Harp  of  David  strung  with 
German  Strings),  a  translation  of  the  Psalms  which  appeared 
in  Augsburg  in  the  year  1659,  begins  Ps.  cvi.  with  the  words: 
"  For  the  third  time  already  am  I  now  come,  and  I  make  bold 
to  spread  abroad,  with  grateful  acknowledgment,  Thy  great 
kindnesses."  God's  wondrous  deeds  of  loving-kindness  and 
compassion  towards  Israel  from  the  time  of  their  forefathers 
down  to  the  redemption  out  of  Egypt  according  to  the  promise, 
and  giving  them  possession  of  Canaan,  are  the  theme  of  Ps.  cv. 
The  theme  of  Ps.  cvi.  is  the  sinful  conduct  of  Israel  from  Egypt 
onwards  during  the  journey  through  the  desert,  and  then  in  the 


164  PSALM  CVII.  1-3. 

Land  of  Promise,  by  which  they  brought  about  the  fulfilment 
of  the  threat  of  exile  (ver.  27)  ;  but  even  there  God's  mercy 
was  not  suffered  to  go  unattested  (ver.  46).  The  theme  of  Ps. 
cvii.,  finally,  is  the  sacrifice  of  praise  that  is  due  to  Him  who 
redeemed  them  out  of  exile  and  all  kinds  of  destruction.  We 
may  compare  cv.  44,  He  gave  them  the  lands  (ni^'ix)  of  the 
heathen;  cvi.  27,  (He  threatened)  to  cast  forth  their  seed  among 
the  heathen  and  to  scatter  them  in  the  lands  (ni^f^xn)  ;  and  cvii.  3, 
ont  of  the  lands  (^liViSD)  Jiath  He  brought  them  together,  out  of 
east  and  ivest,  out  of  north  and  south.  The  designed  similarity 
of  the  expression,  the  internal  connection,  and  the  progression 
in  accordance  with  a  definite  plan,  are  not  to  be  mistaken  here. 
In  other  respects,  too,  these  three  Psalms  are  intimately  inter- 
woven. In  them  Egypt  is  called  "  the  land  of  Ham  "  (cv.  23, 
27,  cvi.  22),  and  Israel  "  the  chosen  ones  of  Jahve"  (cv.  6,  43, 
cvi.  5,  cf.  23).  They  are  fond  of  the  interrogative  form  of 
exclamation  (cvi.  2,  cvii.  43).  There  is  an  approach  in  them 
to  the  hypostatic  conception  of  the  Word  {"^21,  cv.  19,  cvi.  20). 
Compare  also  pO'^t^'''  cvi.  14,  cvii.  4  ;  and  the  Hithpa.  t'^nnn  cv. 
3,  cvi.  5,  nnnc'n  cvi.  47,  vh':iT\r\  cvii.  27.  In  all  three  the  poet 
shows  himself  to  be  especially  familiar  with  Isa.  ch.  xl.-lxvi., 
and  also  with  the  Book  of  Job.  Ps.  cvii.  is  the  fullest  in  re- 
miniscences taken  from  both  these  Books,  and  in  this  Psalm 
tiie  movement  of  the  poet  is  more  free  without  recapitulating 
history  that  has  been  committed  to  writing.  Everything  there- 
fore favours  the  assertion  that  Ps.  cv.,  cvi.,  and  cvii.  are  a 
"trefoil"  {trifolmm)^ — two  Hodu-Psalms,  and  a  Hallelujah- 
Psalm  in  the  middle. 

Ps.  evil,  consists  of  six  groups  with  an  introit,  vers.  1-3, 
and  an  epiphonem,  ver.  43.  The  poet  unrolls  before  the  dis- 
persion of  Israel  that  has  again  attained  to  the  possession  of 
its  native  land  the  pictures  of  divine  deliverances  in  which 
human  history,  and  more  especially  the  history  of  the  exiles,  is 
so  rich.  The  epiphonem  at  the  same  time  stamps  the  hymn  as 
a  consolatory  Psalm  ;  for  those  who  were  gathered  again  out 
of  the  lands  of  the  heathen  nevertheless  still  looked  for  the 
final  redemption  under  the  now  milder,  now  more  despotic 
sceptre  of  the  secular  power. 

Vers.  1-3.    The  introit,  with  the  call  upon  them  to  grateful 


FSAI.M  CVII.  1-9.  165 

praise,  is  addressed  to  the  returned  exiles.  The  Psalm  carries 
tlie  marks  of  its  deutero-Isaianic  ciiaracter  on  the  very  front  of 
it,  viz. :  "  the  redeemed  of  Jahve,"  taken  from  Isa.  Ixii.  12,  cf. 
Ixiii.  4,  XXXV.  9  sq. ;  i*5p  as  in  Isa.  Ivi.  8,  and  frequently  ;  "  from 
the  north  and  from  the  sea,"  as  in  Isa.  xlix.  12  :  "  the  sea"  (D') 
here  (as  perhaps  there  also),  side  by  side  with  east,  west,  and 
north,  is  the  south,  or  rather  (since  D''  is  an  established  usus 
loquendi  for  the  west)  the  south-west,  viz.  the  southern  portion 
of  the  Mediterranean  washing  the  shores  of  Eiiypt.  With  this 
the  poet  associates  the  thought  of  the  exiles  of  Egypt,  as  with 
anyso^  the  exiles  of  the  islands,  i.e.  of  Asia  Minor  and  Europe ; 
he  is  therefore  writing  at  a  period  in  which  the  Jewish  state 
newly  founded  by  the  release  of  the  Babylonian  exiles  had 
induced  the  scattered  fellow-countrymen  in  all  countries  to 
return  home.  Calling  upon  the  redeemed  ones  to  give  thanks 
to  God  the  Redeemer  in  order  that  the  work  of  the  restoration 
of  Israel  may  be  gloriously  jierfected  amidst  the  thanksgiving 
of  the  redeemed  ones,  he  forthwith  formulates  the  thanks- 
giving by  putting  the  language  of  thanksgiving  of  the  ancient 
liturgy  (Jer.  xxxiii.  11)  into  their  mouth.  The  nation,  now 
again  established  upon  the  soil  of  the  fatherland,  has,  until  it 
had  acquired  this  again,  seen  destruction  in  every  form  in  a 
strange  land,  and  can  tell  of  the  most  manifold  divine  de- 
liverances. The  call  to  sacrifice  the  sacrifices  of  thanksgiving 
is  expanded  accordingly  into  several  pictures  porti'aying  the 
dangers  of  the  strange  land,  which  are  not  so  much  allegorical, 
personifying  the  Exile,  as  rather  exemplificative. 

Vers.  4-9.  It  has  actually  come  to  pass,  the  first  strophe 
tells  us,  that  they  wandered  in  a  strange  land  through  deserts 
and  wastes,  and  seemed  likely  to  have  to  succumb  to  death 
from  hunger.  According  to  ver.  40  and  Isa.  xliii.  19,  it  appears 
that  ver.  4a  ought  to  be  read  '^Tl^^"^*''  (Olshausen,  Baur,  and 
Thenius) ;  but  the  line  is  thereby  lengthened  inelegantly.  The 
two  words,  joined  by  Munach,  stand  in  the  construct  state,  like 
cnx  NTS,  Gen.  xvi.  12  :  a  waste  of  a  way  =  €p7]/j,o<;  o5o?,  Acts 
viii.  2(3  (Ewald,  Hitzig),  which  is  better  suited  to  the  poetical 
style  than  that  ^"i^,  as  in  PlD3"n:y'p,  and  the  like,  should  be  an 
accusative  of  nearer  definition  (Hengstenberg).  In  connection 
with  2'fiD  -\'V  the  poet,  who  is  fond  of  this  combination  (vers. 
7,  36,  cf.  2*J'io-iT2j  Lev.  xxv.  29),  means  any  city  whatever 


1G6  PSALM  CVII.  10-15. 

which  might  afford  the  homeless  ones  a  habitable,  hospitable 
reception.  With  the  perfects,  which  describe  what  has  been 
experienced,  alternates  in  ver.  5b  the  imperfect,  which  shifts  to 
the  way  in  which  anything  comes  about :  their  soul  in  them 
enveloped  itself  (vid.  Ixi.  3),  i.e.  was  nigh  upon  extinction. 
With  the  fuf.  consec.  then  follows  in  ver.  6  the  fact  which  gave 
the  turn  to  the  change  in  their  misfortune.  Their  cry  for 
help,  as  the  imperfect  ^Tm  implies,  was  accompanied  by  their 
deliverance,  the  fact  of  which  is  expressed  by  the  following /«f. 
consec.  D5''"i*i^l.  Those  who  have  experienced  such  things  are 
to  confess  to  the  Lord,  with  thanksgiving,  His  loving-kindness 
and  His  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men.  It  is  not  to 
be  rendered  :  His  wonders  (supply  ^'^'V  "lk^'^^)  towards  the  chil- 
dren of  men  (Luther,  Olshausen,  and  others).  The  two  ? 
coincide  :  their  thankful  confession  of  the  divine  loving-kind- 
ness and  wondrous  acts  is  not  to  be  addressed  alone  to  Jahve 
Himself,  but  also  to  men,  in  order  that  out  of  what  they  have 
exoerienced  a  wholesome  fruit  may  spring  forth  for  the  multi- 
tude. >^PP}^  ^^?.  (part.  Polel,  the  e  of  which  is  retained  as  a 
pre-tonic  vowel  in  pause,  cf.  Ixviii.  26  and  on  Job  xx.  27,  Ew. 
§  188,  b)  is,  as  in  Isa.  xxix.  9,  the  thirsting  soul  (from  p^t^, 

•■\^,   to  urge   forward,   of   the  impulse   and   drawing  of  the 

emotions,  in  Hebrew  to  desire  ardently).  The  preterites  are 
here  an  expression  of  that  which  has  been  experienced,  and 
therefore  of  that  which  has  become  a  fact  of  experience.  Li 
superabundant  measure  does  God  uphold  the  languishing  soul 
that  is  in  imminent  danger  of  languishing  away. 

Vers.  10-16.  Others  suffered  imprisonment  and.  bonds  ; 
l)ut  through  Him  who  had  decreed  this  as  punishment  for 
them,  they  also  again  reached  the  light  of  freedom.  Just  as 
in  the  first  strophe,  here  too,  as  far  as  ni'  in  ver.  15,  is  all  a 
compound  subject ;  and  in  view  of  this  the  poet  begins  with 
participles.  "  Darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death"  (vid.  xxiii. 
4)  is  an  Isaianic  expression,  Isa.  ix.  1  (where  ''2^]  is  construed 
with  3),  xlii.  7  (where  ^^^]  is  construed  as  here,  cf.  Gen.  iv.  20, 
Zecli.  ii.  11),  just  as  "  bound  in  torture  and  iron"  takes  its  rise 
from  Job  xxxvi.  8.  The  old  expositors  call  it  a  hendiadys  for 
''  torturing  iron"  (after  cv.  18)  ;  but  it  is  more  correct  to  take 
tlie  one  as  the  general  term  and  the  other  as  the  particular : 


PSALM  CVII.  17-22.  107 

bound  in  all  sorts  of  affliction  from  ^vllich  tliey  could  not 
break  away,  and  more  particularly  in  iron  bonds  (-'.p?,  like  the 
Ai-dhic  Jii'zil,  an  iron  fetter,  vid.  on  cv.  18).  In  ver.  11,  wliich 
calls  to  mind  Isa.  v.  19,  and  with  respect  to  ver.  12,  Isa.  iii.  8, 
the  double  play  upon  the  sound  of  the  words  is  unmistakeable. 
By  nvj?  is  meant  the  plan  in  accordance  with  which  God 
ijoverns,  more  particularly  His  final  purpose,  which  lies  at  the 
basis  of  His  leadings  of  Israel.  Not  only  had  they  nullified 
this  purpose  of  mercy  by  defiant  resistance  ('T)P'?)  against 
God's  commandments  {'''}.'^i^,  Arabic  axcumir,  dmireJi)  on  their 
part,  but  they  had  even  blasphemed  it ;  X^},  Deut.  xxxii.  19, 
and  frequently,  or  Y^}  (p^'op*  to  pierce,  then  to  treat  roughly), 
is  an  old  IMosaic  designation  of  blasphemy,  Deut.  xxxi.  20, 
Xum.  xiv.  11,  23,  xvi.  30.  Therefore  God  thoroughly  humbled 
them  by  afflictive  labour,  and  caused  them  to  stumble  (•'^'3). 
But  when  they  were  driven  to  it,  and  prayed  importunately  to 
Him,  He  helped  them  out  of  their  straits.  The  refrain  varies 
according  to  recognised  custom.  Twice  the  expression  is  Ipi'V^I, 
twice  ipyj^l ;  once  D^-i"',  then  twice  UV'tV,  and  last  of  all  DN'iT, 
which  follows  here  in  ver.  14  as  an  alliteration.  The  summary 
condensation  of  the  deliverance  experienced  (ver.  16)  is  moulded 
after  Isa.  xlv.  2.  The  Exile,  too,  may  be  regarded  as  such  like 
a  large  jail  (yid.  e.g.  Isa.  xlii.  7,  22) ;  but  the  descriptions  of  the 
poet  are  not  pictures,  but  examples. 

Vers.  17-22.  Others  were  brought  to  the  Urink  of  the 
grave  by  severe  sickness  ;  but  when  they  draw  nigh  in  earnest 
prayer  to  Him  who  appointed  that  they  should  suffer  thus 
on  account  of  their  sins.  He  became  their  Saviour.  7''1N  (cf. 
e.g.  Job  v.  3),  like  ?^3  (i-uZ.  xiv.  1),  is  also  an  ethical  notion, 
and  not  confined  to  the  idea  of  defective  intellect  merely.  It 
is  one  who  insanely  lives  only  for  the  passing  hour,  and  ruins 
health,  calling,  family,  and  in  short  himself  and  everything 
belonging  to  him.  Those  who  were  thus  minded,  the  poet 
begins  by  saying,  were  obliged  to  suffer  by  reason  of  (in  con- 
sequence of)  their  wicked  course  of  life.  The  cause  of  their 
days  of  pain  and  sorrow  is  placed  first  by  way  of  emjthasis  ; 
and  because  it  has  a  meaning  that  is  related  to  the  past  >^V7\\ 
thereby  comes  all  the  more  easily  to  express  that  which  took 
place  simultaneously  in  the  past.  The  Ilithpa.  in  1  Kings  ii. 
26  signifies  to  suffer  willingly  or  intentionally ;  here  :   to  be 


168  PSALM  CVII.  23-32. 

obliged  to  submit  to  suffering  against  one's  will.  Hengsten- 
berg,  for  example,  construes  it  differently  ;  "  Fools  because  of 
their  walk  in  transgression  (more  than  '  because  of  their  trans- 
gression'), and  those  who  because  of  their  iniquities  were 
afflicted — all  food,"  etc.  But  tp  beside  l3J?ri'  has  the  assump- 
tion in  its  favour  of  being  an  affirmation  of  the  cause  of  the 
affliction.  In  ver.  18  the  poet  has  the  Book  of  Job  (ch.  xxxiii. 
20,  22)  before  his  eye.  And  in  connection  with  ver.  20,  airka- 
reiXev  rov  Xoyov  avrov  kol  lacraro  avrov<;  (LXX.),  no  passage 
of  the  Old  Testament  is  more  vividly  recalled  to  one's  mind 
than  cv.  19,  even  more  than  cxlvii.  18  ;  because  here,  as  in  cv. 
19,  it  treats  of  the  intervention  of  divine  acts  within  the  sphere 
of  human  history,  and  not  of  the  intervention  of  divine  opera- 
tions within  the  sphere  of  the  natural  world.  In  the  natural 
world  and  in  history  the  word  ("i3^)  is  God's  messenger  (cv.  19, 
of.  Isa.  Iv.  10  sq.),  and  appears  here  as  a  mediator  of  the  divine 
healing.  Here,  as  in  Job  xxxiii.  23  sq.,  the  fundamental  fact 
of  the  New  Testament  is  announced,  which  Theodoret  on  this 
passage  expresses  in  the  words  :  'O  ©eo?  Aoyo^  ivavdpoi7n]aa<; 
Kol  aTTOCTTaXet?  to?  dv6pa>7ro<i  ra  iravrohaira  rS)V  ■^V')((ov  IdcraTO 
rpav/xara  koX  tov?  Siacpdapevra'?  aveppcocre  \ojicrpLov<;.  The 
LXX.  goes  on  to  render  it :  koI  ippvcraro  avTov<i  e'/c  tmv 
BiacpOopwv  avTcov,  inasmuch  as  the  translators  derive  Onirr'n"^ 
from  ^n''^l^'  (Dan.  vi.  5),  and  this,  as  nnt^  elsewhere  (vid.  xvi. 
10),  from  nriK^j  Sia(p6eLpetv,  which  is  approved  by  Hitzig.  But 
Lam.  iv.  20  is  against  this.  From  ^^^'  is  formed  a  noun  n^rity 
(mnt')  in  the  signification  a  hollow  place  (Prov.  xxviii.  10),  the 
collateral  form  of  which,  n^rr^  (^'^'f )?  's  inflected  like  JT'jn,  plur. 
nin^jn  with  a  retention  of  the  substantival  termination.  The 
"  pits"  are  the  deep  afflictions  into  which  they  were  plunged, 
and  out  of  which  God  caused  them  to  escape.  The  suffix  of 
CXST'^  avails  also  for  ^)l^\,  as  in  Gen.  xxvii.  5,  xxx.  31,  Ps. 
cxxxix.  1,  Isa.  xlvi.  5. 

Vers.  23-32.  Others  have  returned  to  tell  of  the  perils  of 
the  sea.  Without  any  allegory  (Hengstenberg)  it  speaks  of 
those  who  by  reason  of  their  calling  traverse  (which  is  expressed 
by  T}>  because  the  surface  of  the  sea  lies  below  the  dry  land 
which  slopes  off  towards  the  coast)  the  sea  in  ships  (read 
bodnijoth  without  the  article),  and  that  not  as  fishermen,  but 
(as  Luther  has  correctly  umlerstood  the  choice  of  the  word)  in 


PSALM  (mi.  23-32.  ICS 

commercial  enterprises.  These  have  seen  the  works  and 
wonders  of  God  in  tlie  eddying  deep,  i.e.  they  have  seen  witli 
their  own  eyes  what  God  can  do  when  in  His  anger  He  culls 
np  the  powers  of  nature,  and  on  the  other  hand  when  He  com- 
passionately orders  them  back  into  their  bounds.  God's  man- 
date (ip^^'l  as  in  cv.  31,  34)  brought  it  to  pass  that  a  stormy 
wind  arose  (cf.  loy,  xxxiii.  9),  and  it  drove  its  (the  sea's)  waves 
on  high,  so  that  the  seafarers  at  one  time  were  tossed  up  to  the 
sky  and  then  hurled  down  again  into  deep  abysses,  and  their 
soul  melted  ^Vl^,  in  an  evil,  anxious  mood,  i.e.  lost  all  its  firm- 
ness. They  turned  about  in  a  circle  (tiling  from  JJH  =  J^n)  and 
reeled  after  the  manner  of  a  drunken  man  ;  all  their  wisdom 
swallowed  itself  up,  i.e.  consumed  itself  within  itself,  came  of 
itself  to  nought,  just  as  Ovid,  Trist.  i.  2,  says  in  connection 
with  a  similar  description  of  a  storm  at  sea :  amhiguis  ars  stupet 
ipsa  mails.  The  poet  here  writes  under  the  influence  of  Isa. 
xix.  3,  cf.  14.  But  at  their  importunate  supplication  God  led 
them  forth  out  of  their  distresses  (xxv.  17).  He  turned  the 
raging  storm  into  a  gentle  blowing  (=ni5T  noOT^  1  Kings  xix. 
12).  Cipn  construed  with  ?  here  has  the  sense  of  transporting 
(carrying  over)  into  another  condition  or  state,  as  ApoUinaris 
renders  :  avrUa  S'  et9  avprjv  irporep-qv  fxereOrjKe  OveWav.  The 
suffix  of  Qri\?3  cannot  refer  to  the  D''3i  D\t2  in  ver.  23,  which  is 
so  far  removed;  "their  waves"  are  those  with  which  they  had 
to  battle.  These  to  their  joy  became  calm  (i^'f  C)  ^"^  were  still 
(pn^  as  in  Jonah  i.  11),  and  God  guided  them  ei?  Xi/xeva 
6€\7]/j,aTO<;  avTOiv  (LXX.).  Tino^  a  hapax-legomenon,  from  jl^^. 
(  \y^),  to  shut  in  on  all  sides  and  to  draw  to  one's  self  (root 
»3..,  (ji/ravit,  in  gyrum  egit),  signifies  a  place  enclosed  rountl, 
therefore  a  haven,  and  first  of  all  perhaps  a  creek,  to  use  a 
northern  word,  a  fiord.  The  verb  pr\^  in  relation  to  nrn  is 
the  stronger  word,  like  ^*y  in  relation  to  D"in  in  the  history  of 
the  Flood.  Those  who  have  been  thus  mai-vellously  rescued  are 
then  called  upon  thankfully  to  praise  God  their  Deliverer  in 
the  place  where  the  national  church  assembles,  and  where  the 
chiefs  of  the  nation  sit  in  council ;  therefore,  as  it  seems,  in  the 
Temple  and  in  the  Forum.* 


*  lu  exact  editions  like  Xorzi,  Hcidonheim,  and  Bacr's,  before  vers.  23, 


170  rsALM  cvii.  33-08. 

Now  follow  two  more  groups  without  the  two  beautiful  and 
impressive  refrains  with  which  the  four  preceding  groups  are 
interspersed.  The  structure  is  less  artistic,  and  the  transitions 
here  and  there  abrupt  and  awkward.  One  might  say  that  these 
two  groups  are  inferior  to  the  rest,  much  as  the  speeches  of 
Elihu  are  inferior  to  the  rest  of  the  Book  of  Job.  That  they 
are,  however,  nevertheless  fi'om  the  hand  of  the  very  same  poet 
is  at  once  seen  from  the  continued  dependence  upon  the  Book 
of  Job  and  Isaiah.  Hengstenberg  sees  in  vers.  33-42  "  the 
song  with  which  they  exalt  the  Lord  in  the  assembly  of  the 
people  and  upon  the  seat  of  the  elders."  But  the  materia  laudis 
is  altogether  different  fi'om  that  which  is  to  be  expected  accord- 
ing to  the  preceding  calls  to  praise.  Nor  is  it  any  the  more 
clear  to  us  that  vers.  33  sq.  refer  to  the  overthrow  of  Babylon, 
and  vers.  35  sqq.  to  the  happy  turn  of  affairs  that  took  place 
simultaneously  for  Israel ;  ver.  35  does  not  suit  Canaan,  and 
the  expressions  in  vers.  36  sq.  would  be  understood  in  too  low  a 
sense.  No,  the  poet  goes  on  further  to  illustrate  the  helpful 
government  of  God  the  just  and  gracious  One,  inasmuch  as  he 
has  experiences  in  his  mind  in  connection  therewith,  of  which 
the  dispersion  of  Israel  in  all  places  can  sing  and  speak. 

Vers.  33-38.  Since  in  ver.  36  the  historical  narration  is 
still  continued,  a  meaning  relating  to  the  cotemporaneous  past 
is  also  retrospectively  given  to  the  two  correlative  ^'^\  It  now 
goes  on  to  tell  what  those  who  have  now  returned  have  observed 
and  experienced  in  their  own  case.  Ver.  33a  sounds  like  Isa. 
1.  2h ;  ver.  33i  like  Isa.  xxxv.  la ;  and  ver.  35  takes  its  rise 
from  Isa.  xli.  18Z».  The  juxtaposition  of  ''^^^'iQ  and  P^<S>*J  since 
Deut.  viii.  15,  belongs  to  the  favourite  antithetical  alliterations, 
e.g.  Isa.  Ixi.  3.  ^nijo,  that  which  is  salty  (LXX.  cf.  Sir.  xxxix. 
23  :  akfiT])^  is,  as  in  Job  xxxix.  6,  the  name  for  the  uncultivated, 
barren  steppe.  A  land  that  has  been  laid  waste  for  the  punish- 
ment of  its  inhabitants  has  very  often  been  changed  into 
flourishing  fruitful  fields  under  the  hands  of  a  poor  and  grate- 
ful generation ;  and  very  often  a  land  that  has  hitherto  lain 
uncultivated  and  to  all  appearance  absolutely  unprofitable  has 


24,  25,  26,  27,  28,  and  40  there  stand  reversed  Ntais  (paiDH  ]'313,  in  the 
language  of  tlie  Masora  nilTIJD  pjlj),  as  before  Num.  x.  35  and  betweeu 
X.  3G  and  xi.  1  (nine  in  all).     Their  signification  is  unknown. 


PSALM  CVII.  39-43.  17l 

developed  an  unexpected  fertility.  The  exiles  to  wlioin 
Jeremiah  writes,  ch.  xxix.  5  :  Build  ye  houses  and  settle  doicn^ 
and  plant  gardens  and  eat  their  fruit,  may  frequently  have 
experienced  this  divine  blessing.  Their  industry  and  their 
knowledge  also  did  their  part,  but  looked  at  in  a  right  light,  it 
was  not  their  own  work  but  God's  work  that  their  settlement 
prospered,  and  that  they  continually  spread  themselves  wider 
and  possessed  a  not  small,  i.e.  (cf.  2  Kings  iv.  3)  a  very  large, 
stock  of  cattle. 

Vers.  39-43.  But  it  also  came  to  pass  that  it  went  ill  with 
them,  inasmuch  as  their  flourishing  prosperous  condition  drew 
down  upon  them  the  envy  of  the  powerful  and  tyrannical  ; 
nevertheless  God  put  an  end  to  tyranny,  and  always  brought 
Ilis  people  again  to  honour  and  strength.  Hitzig  is  of  opinion 
that  ver.  39  goes  back  into  the  time  when  things  were  different 
with  those  who,  according  to  vers.  36-38,  had  thriven.  The 
modus  consecutivus  is  sometimes  used  thus  retrospectively  (vid. 
Isa.  xxxvii.  5)  ;  here,  however,  the  symmetry  of  the  continua- 
tion from  vers.  36-38,  and  the  change  which  is  expressed  in 
ver.  39a  in  comparison  with  ver.  38i,  require  an  actual  conse- 
cution in  that  which  is  narrated.  They  became  few  and  came 
down,  were  reduced  (nn^',  cf.  Prov.  xiv.  19  :  to  come  to  ruin, 
or  to  be  overthrown),  a  coarctatione  malitice  et  mosroris.  iv'y  is 
the  restraint  of  despotic  rule,  nyn  the  evil  they  iiad  to  suffer 
under  such  restraint,  and  pj")  sorrow,  which  consumed  their 
life,  "li'yo  has  Taicha  and  nyn  Munach  (instead  of  Mercha 
and  Mugrash,  vid.  Accentuationssystem,  xviii.  2).  There  is  no 
reason  for  departing  from  this  interpunction  and  rendering  : 
"  through  tyranny,  evil,  and  sorrow."  What  is  stiff  and 
awkward  in  the  progress  of  the  description  arises  from  the  fact 
that  ver.  40  is  borrowed  from  Job  xii.  21,  24,  and  that  the 
poet  is  not  willing  to  make  any  change  in  these  sublime  words. 
The  version  shows  how  we  think  the  relation  of  the  clauses  is 
to  be  apprehended.  Whilst  He  pours  out  His  wrath  upon 
tyrants  in  the  contempt  of  men  that  comes  upon  them,  and 
makes  them  fugitives  who  lose  themselves  in  the  terrible  waste, 
He  raises  the  needy  and  those  hitherto  despised  and  ill-treated 
on  high  out  of  the  depth  of  their  affliction,  and  makes  families 
like  a  flock,  i.e.  makes,  their  families  so  increase,  that  they  come 
to  have  the  appearance  of  a  merrily  gamboling  and  numerous 


172  PSALM  CVIII. 

flock.  Just  as  this  fiiiure  points  back  to  Job  xxi.  11,  so  ver.  42 
is  made  up  out  of  Job  xxii.  19,  v.  16.  The  sight  of  this  act 
of  recognition  on  the  part  of  God  of  those  who  have  been 
wrongfully  oppressed  gives  joy  to  the  upright,  and  all  roguery 
(n?)]}^  vid.  xcii.  16)  has  its  mouth  closed,  i.e.  its  boastful 
insolence  is  once  for  all  put  to  silence.  In  ver.  43  the  poet 
makes  the  strains  of  his  Psalm  die  away  after  the  example  of 
Hosea,  ch.  xiv.  10  [9],  in  the  nota  bene  expressed  after  the 
manner  of  a  question  :  Who  is  wise — he  will  or  let  him  keep 
this,  i.e.  bear  it  well  in  mind.  The  transition  to  the  jussive 
together  with  a  change  of  number  is  rendered  natural  by  the 
fact  that  D2n  '•p^  as  in  Hos.  loc.  cit.  (cf.  Jer.  ix.  11,  Esth.  v.  6, 
and  without  Waio  apod.  Judg.  vii.  3,  Prov.  ix.  4,  16),  is  equi- 
valent to  quisquis  sapiens  est.  'n  '''lOn  (■'"ilpn)  are  the  manifesta- 
tions of  mercy  or  loving-kindness  in  which  God's  ever-enduring 
mercy  unfolds  itself  in  history.  He  who  is  wise  has  a  good 
memory  for  and  a  clear  understanding  of  this. 


PSALM    CVIII. 

-  TWO  ELOHIMIC  FRAGMENTS  BROUGHT  TOGETHER. 

2  CONFIDENT  is  my  heart,  Elohim, 
I  will  sing  and  play  upon  the  harp. 
Yea,  this  shall  my  glory  do. 

3  Awake  up,  O  harp  and  cithern, 
I  will  awake  the  morning  dawn  ! 

4  I  will  praise  Thee  among  the  peoples,  Jahve, 
And  praise  Thee  upon  the  harp  among  the  nations. 

:>  For  great  beyond  the  heavens  is  Thy  mercy,  Elohim, 

And  unto  the  clouds  Thy  truth. 
(')  Oh  show  Thyself  exalted  above  the  heavens,  Eloliim, 

And  above  the  whole  earth  Thy  glory  ! 

7  In  order  that  Thy  beloved  may  be  delivered — 
Save  now  with  Thy  right  hand  and  answer  me ! 


8  Elohim  hath  promised  in  Ilis  holiness : 


PSALM  CVIII.  2-G.  ni 

I  shall  rejoice,  I  shall  portion  out  Shechem^ 
And  measure  out  the  valley  of  Succoth. 
9  Mine  is  Gilead,  mine  Maiiasseh, 

And  Ephraim  is  the  helm  of  my  head, 
Judah  is  my  sceptre, 

10  Moab  is  my  wash-pot, 
Upon  Edom  I  cast  my  shoe, 
Over  Philistia  I  shout  for  joy. 

1 1  Who  will  conduct  me  to  the  fortified  city, 
Who  will  bring  me  to  Edom  ?  ! 

12  Hast  not  Thou,  Eloiiim,  cast  us  off. 

And  goest  not  forth,  Elohim,  with  our  armies?  — 

13  Grant  us  deliverance  from  the  oppressor. 
Yea,  vain  is  the  help  of  man. 

14  In  Elohim  shall  we  obtain  the  victory, 
And  He  will  tread  down  our  oppressors. 

The  Tiis  in  ver.  4  and  the  whole  contents  of  this  Psalm 
is  the  echo  to  the  nin  of  the  preceding  Psalm.  It  is  inscribed 
a  Psalm-song  hy  David,  but  only  because  it  is  compiled  out  of 
ancient  Davidic  materials.  The  fact  of  the  absence  of  the 
nv^D^J  makes  it  natural  to  suppose  that  it  is  of  later  origin. 
Two  Davidic  Psalm- pieces  in  the  Elohimic  style  are  here,  with 
trifling  variations,  just  put  together,  not  soldered  together,  and 
taken  out  of  their  original  historical  connection.  That  a  poet 
like  David  would  thus  compile  a  third  out  of  two  of  his  own 
songs  (Hengstenberg)  is  not  conceivable. 

Vers.  2-6.  This  first  half  is  taken  from  Ps.  Ivii.  8-12. 
The  repetition  of  confident  is  my  heart  in  Ps.  Ivii.  is  here 
omitted  ;  and  in  place  of  it  the  "  my  glory"  of  the  exclama- 
tion, aioake  my  glory,  is  taken  up  to  "I  will  sing  and  will  harj)" 
as  a  more  minute  definition  of  the  subject  {yid.  on  iii.  5)  :  He 
will  do  it,  yea,  his  soul  with  all  its  godlike  powers  shall  do  it. 
JaJive  in  ver.  4  is  transformed  out  of  the  Adonaj ;  and  Waic 
copul.  is  inserted  both  before  ver.  A.h  and  ver.  \}>b,  contrary  to 
Ps.  Ivii.  byo,  ver.  5a  (as  in  Esth.  iii.  1),  w^ould  be  a  pleasing 
change  for  IJ?  if  ver.  5a  followed  bb  and  the  definition  of 
magnitude  did  not  retrograde  instead  of  heightening.     More- 


174  rsALM  cix. 

over  xxxvi.  6,  Jer.  li.  9  (cf.  bv  in  cxiii.  4,  cxlviii.  13)  favour 
^  in  opposition  to  7V^2. 

Vers.  7-14.  Ps.  Ix.  7-14  forms  this  second  half.  The 
clause  expressing  the  purpose  with  \V^b^  as  in  its  original,  has 
the  following  ny^K'in  for  its  principal  clause  upon  which  it 
depends.  Instead  of  l^.^yT.,  which  one  might  have  expected,  the 
expression  used  here  is  "•J.^Vl  without  any  interchange  of  the 
mode  of  writing  and  of  reading  it ;  many  printed  copies  have 
l^jyi  here  also:  Baer,  followins;  Norzi,  correctly  has  ''J3j;i.  In- 
stead  of  yl  •  •  •  Vj  Ix.  9,  we  here  read  y  .  .  .  Y,  which  is  less 
soaring.  And  instead  of  Cri/  aloud  concerning  me,  0  Philistia 
(the  plaintive  cry  of  the  vanquished),  it  here  is,  Ocer  Philisda 
do  I  shout  for  j 07/  (the  triumphant  cry  of  the  victor) ;  in  accord- 
ance with  which  Hupfeld  wishes  to  take  ^^iiJ^i?  in  the  former 
as  infinitive  :  "  over  {yV.  instead  of  vi?)  Philistia  is  my  shouting 
for  joy"  ('VJ!^')^''?  instead  of  ^i'yi"'^^'?,  since  the  infinitive  does 
not  admit  of  this  pausal  form  of  the  imperative).  For  "liVO  T'y 
we  have  here  the  more  usual  form  of  expression  iV^p  T"!?.  Ver. 
12a  is  weakened  by  the  omission  of  the  nriX  (^^?^). 


PSALM    CIX. 

IMrrJECATION  UPON  THE  CURSER  WHO  PREFERS  THE 
CURSE  TO  THE  BLESSING. 

1  GOD  of  my  praise,  be  not  silent ! 

2  For  a  wicked  mouth  and  a  deceitful  month  have  they 

opened  against  me, 
They  have  spoken  against  me  with  a  lying  tongue, 

3  And  with  animosities  have  they  surrounded  me 
And  fought  against  me  without  cause. 

4  For  my  love  tiiey  make  themselves  hostile  to  me, 
Whilst  I  am  all  prayer  ; 

5  And  have  requited  me  with  evil  for  good, 
And  with  hatred  for  my  love. 

()  Set  Thou  a  wicked  man  over  him, 
And  let  Satan  stand  at  his  riijht  hand  : 


PSAI.M  cix.  17.5 

7  If  he  is  judged,  let  him  come  off  as  a  wicked  man, 
And  let  liis  prayer  become  sin. 

8  Let  his  days  be  few, 

His  office  let  another  take. 

9  Let  his  children  become  orphans, 
And  his  wife  a  widow, 

10  And  let  his  children  wander  to  and  fro  begging. 
And  let  them  entreat  far  from  their  ruins. 

11  Let  the  creditor  surround  with  snares  all  that  he  hath, 
And  let  strangers  spoil  what  his  labour  hath  gained. 

12  Let  there  be  no  one  to  continue  kindness  to  him, 
And  let  no  one  bestow  [anything]  upon  his  orphans. 

13  Let  his  posterity  be  rooted  out, 

In  the  next  generation  let  their  name  be  blotted  out. 

14  Let  the  giult  of  his  fathers  be  remembered  with  Jahve, 
And  let  the  sin  of  his  mother  not  be  blotted  out, 

15  Let  them  be  always  before  Jahve, 

And  may  He  cut  off  their  memory  from  the  earth. 

16  Because  he  hath  not  remembered  to  show  kindness, 
And  hath  persecuted  a  man  wretched  and  poor. 
And  terrified  of  heart,  to  put  him  to  death. 

17  He  hath  loved  the  curse,  and  it  hath  come  upon  him  : 
And  he  delighted  not  in  blessing,  and  it  remained  far 

from  him. 

18  He  clothed  himself  in  cursing  as  his  garment, 
And  it  pressed  like  water  into  his  bowels, 
And  like  oil  into  his  bones. 

19  So  let  it  become  unto  him  as  a  coat  in  which  he  covereth 

himself, 
And  as  a  girdle  which  he  continually  putteth  on. 

20  This  is  the  reward  of  mine  adversaries  from  Jahve, 
And  of  those  who  speak  evil  concerning  my  soul. 

21  But  do  Tiiou,  Jahve  Lord,  act  for  me  for  Tliy  Name's 

sake  ; 
Because  Thy  loving-kindness  is  good,  deliver  Thou  me  ! 

22  For  I  am  wretched  and  poor, 

And  my  heart  is  pierced  within  me. 


17(5  PSALM  CIX. 

23  As  a  shadow,  wlien  it  lengtlieneth,  am  I  gone, 
I  am  scared  away  as  a  locust. 

24  My  knees  knock  together  through  fasting, 
And  my  flesh  is  fallen  away  from  fatness. 

25  And  I  am  become  a  reproach  to  them, 
They  see  me,  they  shake  their  head. 

26  Succour  me,  Jahve  my  God, 

Help  me  according  to  Thy  loving-kindness, 

27  Tliat  they  may  know  that  this  is  Thy  hand, 
Thou,  Jahve,  hast  done  it. 

28  Tliey  curse,  but  Thou  blessest  ; 

They  arise  and  are  ashamed,  and  Thy  servant  is  glad. 

29  Mine  adversaries  shall  clothe  themselves  with  reproach, 
And  envelope  themselves  as  with  a  mantle  with  their  own 

shame. 

30  I  will  give  thanks  greatly  unto  Jahve  with  my  mouth, 
And  in  the  midst  of  many  will  I  praise  Him, 

31  That  He  placeth  Himself  at  the  right  hand  of  the  poor, 
To  help  him  against  the  judges  of  his  soul. 

The  nnix,  corresponding  like  an  echo  to  the  nin  of  Ps.  cvii., 
is  also  found  here  in  ver.  30.  But  Ps.  cix.  is  most  closely 
related  to  Ps.  Ixix.  Anger  concerning  the  ungodly  who  requite 
love  with  ingratitude,  who  persecute  innocence  and  desire  the 
curse  instead  of  the  blessing,  has  here  reached  its  utmost  bound. 
The  imprecations  are  not,  however,  directed  against  a  multi- 
tude as  in  Ps.  Ixix.,  but  their  whole  current  is  turned  against 
one  person.  Is  this  Doeg  the  Edomite,  or  Cush  the  Benjamite? 
"VVe  do  not  know.  The  marks  of  Jeremiah's  hand,  which  raised 
a  doubt  about  the  Trh  of  Ps.  Ixix.,  are  wanting  here ;  and  if 
♦he  development  of  the  thoughts  appears  too  diffuse  and  over- 
loaded to  be  suited  to  David,  and  also  many  expressions  (as  the 
inflected  ^V'O  in  ver.  8,  the  '"i^??3,  which  is  explained  by  the 
Syriac,  in  ver.  16,  and  the  half-passive  bbT\  in  ver.  22)  look  as 
though  they  belong  to  the  later  period  of  the  language,  yet  we 
feel  on  the  other  hand  the  absence  of  any  certain  echoes  of 
older  models.  For  in  the  parallels  ver.  6,  cf.  Zech.  iii.  1,  and 
vers.  18,  29i,  cf.  Isa.  lix.  17,  it  is  surely  not  the  mutual  rela- 
tionship but  the  priority  that  is  doubtful ;  ver.  22,  however,  in 


PSALM  CIX.  1-5.  177 

relation  to  Iv.  5  (cf.  ver.  4  with  Iv.  5)  is  a  variation  such  as  is 
also  allowable  in  one  and  the  same  poet  {e.g.  in  the  refrains). 
The  anathemas  that  are  here  poured  forth  more  extensively 
than  anywhere  else  speak  in  favour  of  David,  or  at  least  of  his 
situation.  They  are  explained  by  the  depth  of  David's  consci- 
ousness that  he  is  the  anointed  of  Jahve,  and  by  his  contempla- 
tion of  himself  in  Christ.  The  persecution  of  David  was  a  sin 
not  only  against  David  himself,  but  also  against  the  Christ  in 
him ;  and  because  Christ  is  in  David,  the  outbursts  of  the  Old 
Testament  wrathful  spirit  take  the  prophetic  form,  so  that  this 
Psalm  also,  like  Ps.  xxii.  and  Ixix.,  is  a  typically  prophetic 
Psalm,  inasmuch  as  the  utterance  of  the  type  concerning  him- 
self is  carried  by  the  Spirit  of  prophecy  beyond  himself,  and 
thus  the  apa  is  raised  to  the  irpo^-qreLa  iv  ecBet  dpa<;  (Chry- 
sostom).  These  imprecations  are  not,  however,  appropriate  in 
the  mouth  of  the  suffering  Saviour.  It  is  not  the  spirit  of  Zion 
but  of  Sinai  which  here  speaks  out  of  the  mouth  of  David ;  the 
spirit  of  Elias,  which,  according  to  Luke  ix.  55,  is  not  the  spirit 
of  the  New  Testament.  This  wrathful  spirit  is  overpowered 
in  the  New  Testament  by  the  spirit  of  love.  But  these 
anathemas  are  still  not  on  this  account  so  many  beatings  of  the 
air.  There  is  in  them  a  divine  energy,  as  in  the  blessing  and 
cursing  of  every  man  who  is  united  to  God,  and  more  especially 
of  a  man  whose  temper  of  mind  is  such  as  David's.  They 
possess  the  same  power  as  the  prophetical  threatenings,  and  in 
this  sense  they  are  regarded  in  the  New  Testament  as  fulfilled 
in  the  son  of  perdition  (John  xvii.  12).  To  the  generation  of 
the  time  of  Jesus  they  were  a  deterrent  warning  not  to  offend 
against  the  Holy  One  of  God,  and  this  Fsalmus  Ischarioticiis 
(Acts  i.  20)  will  ever  be  such  a  mirror  of  warning  to  the  enemies 
and  persecutors  of  Christ  and  His  Church. 

Vers.  1-5.  A  sigh  for  help  and  complaints  of  ungrateful 
persecutors  form  the  beginning  of  the  Psalm.  "  God  of  my 
praise"  is  equivalent  to  God,  who  art  my  praise,  Jer.  xvii.  14, 
cf.  Deut.  X.  21.  The  God  whom  the  Psalmist  has  hitherto  had 
reason  to  praise  will  also  now  show  Himself  to  him  as  worthy 
to  be  praised.  Upon  this  faith  he  bases  the  prayer :  be  not 
silent  (xxviii.  1,  xxxv.  22) !  A  mouth  such  as  belongs  to  the 
"  wicked,"  a  mouth  out  of  which  comes  "  deceit,"  have  they 

VOL.  III.  12 


178  PSALM  CIX.  G-10. 

opened  against  him;  they  have  spoken  with  him  a  tongue 
(accusative,  vid,  on  Ixiv.  6),  i.e.  a  language,  of  falseliood.  ''73'^. 
of  things  and  utterances  as  in  xxxv.  20.  It  would  be  capri- 
cious to  take  the  suffix  of  'O^D^  in  ver.  4  as  genit.  object,  (love 
which  they  owe  me),  and  in  ver.  5  as  genif.  subject.;  from 
xxxviii.  21  it  may  be  seen  that  the  love  which  he  has  shown  to 
them  is  also  meant  in  ver.  4.  The  assertion  that  he  is  "  prayer" 
is  intended  to  say  that  he,  repudiating  all  revenge  of  himself, 
takes  refuge  in  God  in  prayer  and  commits  his  cause  into  His 
hands.  They  have  loaded  him  with  evil  for  good,  and  hatred 
for  the  love  he  has  shown  to  them.  Twice  he  lays  emphasis 
on  the  fact  that  it  is  love  which  they  have  requited  to  him  with 
its  opposite.  Perfects  alternate  with  aorists :  it  is  no  enmity 
of  yesterday ;  the  imprecations  that  follow  presuppose  an  in- 
flexible obduracy  on  the  side  of  the  enemies. 

Vers.  6-10.  The  writer  now  turns  to  one  among  the  many, 
and  in  the  angry  zealous  fervour  of  despised  love  calls  down 
God's  judgment  upon  him.  To  call  down  a  higher  power, 
more  particularly  for  punishment,  upon  any  one  is  expressed 
by  bv  ('T'ipsn)  IpS,  Jer.  xv.  3,  Lev.  xxvi.  16.  The  tormentor  of 
innocence  shall  find  a  superior  executor  who  will  bring  him 
before  the  tribunal  (which  is  expressed  in  Latin  by  legis  actio 
per  manus  injectionem).  The  judgment  scene  in  vers.  66,  la 
shows  that  this  is  what  is  intended  in  ver.  'oa :  At  the  right 
hand  is  the  place  of  the  accuser,  who  in  this  instance  will  not 
rest  before  the  damnatus  es  has  been  pronounced.  He  is  called 
ItDB',  which  is  not  to  be  understood  here  after  1  Sam.  xxix.  4, 
2  Sam.  xix.  23  [22],  but  after  Zech.  iii.  1,  1  Chron.  xxi.  1,  if 
not  directly  of  Satan,  still  of  a  superhuman  (cf.  Num.  xxii,  22) 
being  which  opposes  him,  by  appearing  before  God  as  his 
Karijywp  ;  for  according  to  ver.  la  the  ]t2'^  is  to  be  thought  of  as 
accuser,  and  according  to  lb  God  as  Judge.  V^")  has  the  sense 
of  reus,  and  NV^  refers  to  the  publication  of  the  sentence.  Ver. 
lb  wishes  that  his  prayer,  viz.  that  by  which  he  would  wish  to 
avert  the  divine  sentence  of  condemnation,  may  become  -^^^n^j 
not;  a  missing  of  the  mark,  i.e.  ineffectual  (Thenius),  but, 
according  to  the  usual  signification  of  the  word :  a  sin,  viz. 
because  it  proceeds  from  despair,  not  from  true  penitence.  In 
ver.  8  the  incorrigible  one  is  wished  an  untimely  death  (D'tsyD 
as  in  one  other  instance  only,  Eccles.  v.  1)  and  the  loss  of  hia 


PSALM  CI.X.  11-15.  179 

office.  The  LXX.  renders :  ttjv  eTnaKOTTTjv  avrov  \u^ot 
erepo?.  n^pa  really  signifies  the  office  of  overseer,  oversight, 
office,  and  the  one  individual  must  have  held  a  prominent 
position  among  the  enemies  of  the  psalmist.  Having  died  off 
from  this  position  before  his  time,  he  shall  leave  behind  him  a 
family  deeply  reduced  in  circumstances,  whose  former  dwelling- 
place — he  was  therefore  wealthy  —  becomes  "ruins."  His 
children  wander  up  and  down  far  from  these  ruins  (ip  as  e.g. 
in  Judg.  V.  11,  Job  xxviii.  4)  and  beg  (i^1"=i,  like  TrpoaaiTelv, 
eiracTelv,  Sir.  xl,  28  =  DH^  l^')l!3,  xxxvii.  25).  Instead  of  ^^nni 
the  reading  ^Knni  is  also  found.  A  Poel  is  now  and  then 
formed  from  the  strong  verbs  also,*  in  the  inflexion  of  which 
the  Cholem  is  sometimes  shortened  to  Kametz  chatuph  ;  vid.  the 
forms  of  W^,  to  slander,  in  ci.  5,  ""Nn,  to  sketch,  mark  out  in 
outline,  Isa.  xliv.  13,  cf.  also  Job  xx.  2(5  (^n!pDNn)  and  Isa.  Ixii. 
9  (according  to  the  reading  VSDNO).  To  read  the  Kameiz  in 
these  instances  as  a,  and  to  regard  these  forms  as  resolved  Fiels, 
is,  in  connection  with  the  absence  of  the  Metheg,  contrary  to 
the  meaning  of  the  pointing;  on  purpose  to  guard  against  this 
way  of  reading  it,  correct  codices  have  ^B'l^.'l  (cf.  Ixix.  19),  which 
Baer  has  adopted. 

Vers.  11-15.     The  Piel  ^^}  properly  signifies  to  catch  in 

snares;  here,  like  the  Arabic  Jl-'£J,  XL,  IV.,  corresponding  to  the 

Latin  ohligare  (as  referring  to  the  creditor's  right  of  claim)  ; 
f^^^  is  the  name  for  the  creditor  as  he  who  gives  time  for  pay- 
ment, gives  credit  {vid.  Isa.  xxiv.  2).  In  ver.  12  ipn  Tj^i'D^  to 
draw  out  mercy,  is  equivalent  to  causing  it  to  continue  and 
last,  xxxvi.  11,  cf.  Jer.  xxxi.  3.  i^njix^  ver.  13a,  does  not 
signify  his  future,  but  as  ver.  136  (cf.  xxxvii.  38)  shows:  his 
posterity,  rm^np  \"i'_  is  not  merely  exscindatur,  but  exscindenda 
sit  (Ezek.  XXX.  16,  cf.  Josh.  ii.  6),  just  as  in  other  instances 
p  iTH  corresponds  to  the  active /u<.  periplirasticum,  e.g.  Gen.  xv. 
12,  Isa.  xxxvii.  26.  With  reference  to  ns;  instead  of  nQ\  (con- 
tracted fruui  HTO^jj  vid.  Ges.  §  75,  rem.  8.     A  Jewish  acrostic 


*  In  connection  witt  the  strong  verb  it  frequently  represents  the  Pid 
which  does  not  occur,  as  with  {jn'n,  |b6,  DQwS  or  even  represents  the 
Piel  which,  as  in  the  case  of  iJ'iK'i  is  already  made  use  of  in  auotlier  signi- 
fication {Pitt,  to  root  out;  Poe/,  to  take  root). 


180  PSALM  CIX.  16-20. 

interpretation  of  the  name  ^'^'!,  runs :  Sl2])  iOBJ  m\.  This  curse 
shall  overtake  the  family  of  the  vm  t?}?  aTrwXeia?.  All  the 
sins  of  his  parents  and  ancestors  shall  remain  indelible  above 
before  God  the  Judge,  and  here  below  the  race,  equally  guilty, 
shall  be  rooted  out  even  to  its  memory,  i.e.  to  the  last  trace 
of  it. 

Vers.  16-20.  He  whom  he  persecuted  with  a  thirst  for 
blood,  was,  apart  from  this,  a  great  sufferer,  bowed  down  and 
poor  and  S^-  '^^'•?^>  of  terrified,  confounded  heart.  LXX. 
KaTavevvyfievov  (Jerome,  compunctum) ;  but  the  stem-word  is 

not  S33  ("^3:),  root  "]3  (vol.  i.  425),  but  ^^?^J  Syriac  IId,  cogn. 

*^^'^,  to  cause  to  come  near,  to  meet.  The  verb,  and  more 
especially  in  Niph.^  is  proved  to  be  Hebrew  by  Dan.  xi.  30. 
Such  an  one  who  without  anything  else  is  of  a  terrified  heart, 
inasmuch  as  he  has  been  made  to  feel  the  wrath  of  God  most 
keenly,  this  man  has  persecuted  with  a  deadly  hatred.  He  had 
experienced  kindness  (ion)  in  a  high  degree,  but  he  blotted  out 
of  his  memory  that  which  he  had  experienced,  not  for  an 
instant  imagining  that  he  too  on  his  part  had  to  exercise  lon. 
The  Foel  nnio  instead  of  n"'Dn  points  to  the  agonizing  death 
(Isa.  liii.  9,  cf.  Ezek.  xxviii.  10  ""riiD)  to  which  he  exposes  God's 
anointed.  The  fate  of  the  shedder  of  blood  is  not  expressed 
after  the  manner  of  a  wish  in  vers.  16-18,  but  in  the  historical 
form,  as  being  the  result  that  followed  of  inward  necessity  from 
the  matter  of  fact  of  the  course  which  he  had  himself  deter- 
mined upon.  The  verb  Ni3  seq.  ace.  signifies  to  surprise, 
suddenly  attack  any  one,  as  in  Isa.  xli.  25.  The  three  figures 
in  ver.  18  are  climactic:  he  has  clothed  himself  in  cursing,  he 
has  drunk  it  in  like  water  (Job  xv.  16,  xxxiv.  7),  it  has  pene- 
trated even  to  the  marrow  of  his  bones,  like  the  oily  prepara- 
tions which  are  rubbed  in  and  penetrate  to  tlie  bones.  In  ver. 
19  the  emphasis  rests  upon  ^^T.  and  upon  Tori.  The  summar- 
izing ver.  20  is  the  close  of  a  strophe,  npys,  an  earned  reward, 
here  punishment  incurred,  is  especially  frequent  in  Isa.  ch. 
xl.-lxvi.,  e.g.  xlix.  4,  xl.  10 ;  it  also  occurs  once  even  in  the 
Tora,  Lev.  xix.  13.  Those  who  answer  the  loving  acts  of  the 
righteous  with  such  malevolence  in  word  and  in  deed  commit  a 
Satanic  sin  for  which  there  is  no  forgiveness.  The  curse  is  the 
fruit  of  their  own  choice  and  deed.     Arnobius :  Nota  ex  arbitrio 


PSAUl  CIX.  21-25.  181 

evenisse  ut  uoUet,  propter  hccresim,  qua;  dicit  Deum  alios  pne- 
destinasse  ad  henedicfionem,  alios  ad  inaledictionem. 

Vers.  21-25.  The  thunder  and  lightning  are  now  as  it  were 
followed  by  a  shower  of  tears  of  deep  sorrowful  complaint. 
Ps.  cix.  here  just  as  strikingly  accords  with  Ps.  Ixix.,  as  Ps. 
Ixix.  does  with  Ps.  xxii.  in  the  last  strophe  but  one.  The 
twofold  name  Jahve  Adonaj  (vid.  Symbolce,  p.  16)  corresponds 
to  the  deep-breathed  complaint,  ''Jjii?  ni;'j;,  deal  with  me,  i.e. 
succouring  me,  does  not  greatly  differ  from  v  in  1  Sam.  xiv.  6. 
The  confirmation,  ver.  21^,  runs  like  Ixix.  17:  Thy  loving- 
kindness  is  y\D,  absolutely  good,  the  ground  of  everything  that 
is  good  and  the  end  of  all  evil.  Hitzig  conjectures,  as  in  Ixix. 
17,  inon  2103,  "  according  to  the  goodness  of  Thy  loving- 
kindness;"  but  this  formula  is  without  example:  "for  Thy 
loving-kindness  is  good  "  is  a  statement  of  the  motive  placed 
first  and  corresponding  to  the  "  for  Thy  Name's  sake."  In 
ver.  22  (a  variation  of  Iv.  5)  ??n,  not  ^^n,  is  traditional ;  this 
7?n,  as  being  verb,  denom.  from  ??n,  signifies  to  be  pierced, 
and  is  therefore  equivalent  to  ^'r'i'"'  (cf.  Luke  ii.  35).  The 
metaphor  of  the  shadow  in  ver.  23  is  as  in  cii.  12.  When  the 
day  declines,  the  shadow  lengthens,  it  becomes  longer  and 
longer  (Virgil,  majoresque  cadiint  aliis  de  montibus  umbrcB),  till 
it  vanishes  in  the  universal  darkness.  Thus  does  the  life  of 
the  sufferer  pass  away.  The  poet  intentionally  uses  the  Alj)h. 
■'rippnj  (another  reading  is  "Jii^pnJ ) ;  it  is  a  power  rushing  upon 
him  from  without  that  drives  him  away  thus  after  the  manner 
of  a  shadow  into  the  night.  The  locust  or  grasshopper  (apart 
from  the  plague  of  the  locusts)  is  proverbial  as  being  a  defence- 
less, inoffensive  little  creature  that  is  soon  driven  away.  Job 
xxxix.  20.  "lyj^,  to  be  shaken  out  or  off  (cf.  Ai'abic  na'ura,  a 
water-wheel  that  fills  its  clay-vessels  in  the  river  and  empties 
them  out  above,  and  "iV^n^  Zech.  xi.  16,  where  liitzig  wishes  to 
read  "lysrij  dispidsio  =  dispidsi).  The  fasting  in  ver.  24  is  the 
result  of  the  loathing  of  all  food  which  sets  in  with  deep  grief. 
IDE'p  ti'na  signifies  to  waste  away  so  that  there  is  no  more  fat 
left.*     In  ver.  25  ^3X  is  designedly  rendered  prominent :  in  this 


*  The  verbal  group  ::''n3,  nriD,  J*^>  k^i,  etc.  has  the  primary  signi- 
fication of  withdrawal  and  taking  away  or  decrease;  to  deny  is  the  same 
as  to  withdraw  from  agreement,  and  he  becomes  thin  from  whom  the  fat 


182  PSALM  CIX.  20-31. 

the  form  of  his  affliction  he  is  the  butt  of  their  reproaching, 
and  they  shake  their  heads  doubtfully,  looking  upon  him  as 
one  who  is  punished  of  God  beyond  all  hope,  and  giving  him 
up  for  lost.     It  is  to  be  interpreted  thus  after  Ixix.  11  sq. 

Vers.  26-31.  The  cry  for  help  is  renewed  in  the  closing 
strophe,  and  the  Psalm  draws  to  a  close  very  similarly  to  Ps. 
Ixix.  and  xxii.,  with  a  joyful  prospect  of  the  end  of  the  afflic- 
tion. In  ver.  27  the  hand  of  God  stands  in  contrast  to  acci- 
dent, the  work  of  men,  and  his  own  efforts.  All  and  each  one 
will  undeniably  perceive,  when  God  at  length  interposes,  that 
it  is  His  hand  which  here  does  that  which  was  impossible  in  the 
eyes  of  men,  and  that  it  is  His  work  which  has  been  accom- 
plished in  this  affliction  and  in  the  issue  of  it.  He  blesses  him 
whom  men  curse  :  they  arise  without  attaining  their  object, 
whereas  His  servant  can  rejoice  in  the  end  of  his  affliction. 
The  futures  in  ver.  29  are  not  now  again  imprecations,  but  an 
expression  of  believingly  confident  hope.  In  correct  texts  p^V^^ 
has  Mem  raphatxim.  The  "  many"  are  the  "  congregation" 
{vid.  xxii.  23).  In  the  case  of  the  marvellous  deliverance  of 
this  sufferer  the  congregation  or  church  has  the  pledge  of  its 
own  deliverance,  and  a  bright  mirror  of  the  loving-kindness  of 
its  God.  The  sum  of  the  praise  and  thanksgiving  follows  in 
ver.  31,  where  ^3  signifies  quod,  and  is  therefore  allied  to  the 
OTL  recitativum  (cf.  xxii.  25).  The  three  Good  Friday  Psalms 
all  sum  up  the  comfort  that  springs  from  David's  affliction  for 
all  suffering  ones  in  just  such  a  pithy  sentence  (xxii.  25,  Ixix. 
34).  Jahve  comes  forward  at  the  right  hand  of  the  poor, 
contending  for  him  (cf.  ex.  5),  to  save  (him)  from  those  who 
judge  (xxxvii.  33),  i.e.  condemn,  his  soul.  The  contrast  be- 
veen  this  closing  thought  and  vers.  6  sq,  is  unmistakeable. 
At  the  right  hand  of  the  tormentor  stands  Satan  as  an  accuser, 
at  the  right  hand  of  the  tormented  one  stands  God  as  his 
vindicator ;  he  who  delivered  him  over  to  human  judges  is 
condemned,  and  he  who  was  delivered  up  is  "  taken  away  out 
of  distress  and  from  judgment"  (Isa.  liii.  8)  by  the  Judge  of 
the  judges,  in  order  that,  as  we  now  hear  in  the  following 


withdraws,  goes  away.  Saadia  compares  on  this  passage  (ms)  n»n3 
riKnns,  a  lean  cow,  Bcrachoth  32a.  In  like  manner  Targum  II.  rendcra 
Gen.  xli.  27  KnK'''n3  smin,  the  lean  kine. 


rsALM  ex.  183 

P.>alin,  he  may  sit  at  the  right  liand  of  the  heavenly  King. 
'EBiicaia)6ij  iu  irvev^iart,  .  .  .  ave\j]fX(f)67]  iv  Bo^rj !  (1  Tim. 
iii.  10.) 

PSALM    ex. 

TO  THE  PRIEST-KING  AT  THE  RIGHT  HAND  OF  GOD. 

1  THE  oracle  of  .Tahve  unto  my  Lord  : 
"  Sit  thou  at  My  right  hand, 

Until  I  make  thine  enemies 
The  stool  of  thy  feet." 

2  The  sceptre  of  thy  might 

Will  Jahve  stretch  forth  out  of  Zion  : 

"  Rule  thou  in  the  midst  of  thine  enemies  ! " 

* 

3  Thy  people  are  most  willing  on  thy  field-day  ; 
In  holy  festive  garments, 

Out  of  the  womb  of  the  morning's  dawn 
Cometh  the  dew  of  thy  young  men. 

4  Jahve  hath  sworn  and  will  not  repent : 
"  Thou  shalt  be  a  priest  for  ever 
After  the  manner  of  Melchizedek." 

*  * 

5  The  Lord  at  thy  right  hand 

Dasheth  kings  in  pieces  in  the  day  of  His  wrath, 

6  He  shall  judge  among  the  nations, 
It  becometh  full  of  corpses. 

He  dasheth  in  pieces  a  head  upon  a  broad  country  ; 

7  Of  the  brook  in  the  way  shall  he  drink. 
Therefore  shall  he  lift  up  tiie  head  on  high. 


While  the  Pharisees  were  gathered  together,  Jesus  asked 
them  :  What  think  ye  of  Christ?  Whose  Son  is  He  ?  Tiiey 
say  unto  Him  :  David's.  He  saith  unto  them  :  How  then  doth 
David  in  the  spirit  call  Him  Lord,  saying  :  "  The  Lord  hath 


18-i  PSALM  ex. 

said  unto  my  Lord  :  Sit  Thou  on  My  riglit  hand  until  I  make 
Thine  enemies  the  stool  of  Thy  feet  ?  "  If  David  then  calls 
Him  Lord,  how  is  He  his  Son  ?  And  no  man  was  able  to 
answer  Him  a  word,  neither  durst  any  one  from  that  day  forth 
question  Him  further. 

So  we  read  in  Matt.  xxii.  41-46,  Mark  xii.  35-37,  Luke 
XX.  41-44.  The  inference  which  it  is  left  for  the  Pharisees  to 
draw  rests  upon  the  two  premises,  which  are  granted,  that  Ps. 
ex.  is  Davidic,  and  that  it  is  prophetico-Messianic,  i.e.  that  in 
it  the  future  Messiah  stands  objectively  before  the  mind  of 
David.  For  if  those  who  were  interrogated  had  been  able  to 
reply  that  David  does  not  there  speak  of  the  future  Messiah, 
but  puts  into  the  mouth  of  the  people  words  concerning  him- 
self, or,  as  Hofmann  has  now  modified  the  view  he  formerly 
held  (Schriftbeiveis,  ii.  1,  496-500),  concerning  the  Davidic 
king  in  a  general  way,*  then  the  question  would  lack  the  back- 
ground of  cogency  as  an  argument.     Since,  however,  the  pro- 


*  Vid.  the  refutation  of  this  modified  view  in  Kurtz,  Zur  Theologie  ckr 
Psolmen,  in  the  Dorpater  Zeitfschrift  for  the  year  1861,  S.  516. 

Supplementary  Note. — Von  Hofmann  now  interprets  Ps.  ex.  as  pro- 
phetico-Messianic. We  are  glad  to  be  able  to  give  it  in  his  own  words. 
"  As  the  utterance  of  a  prophet  who  speaks  the  word  of  God  to  the  person 
addressed,  the  Psalm  begins,  and  this  it  is  then  all  through,  even  where  it 
does  not,  as  in  ver.  4,  expressly  make  known  to  the  person  addressed  what 
God  swears  to  him.  God  intends  to  finally  subdue  his  foes  to  him.  Until 
then,  until  his  day  of  victory  is  come,  he  shall  have  a  dominion  in  the 
midst  of  them,  the  sceptre  of  which  shall  be  mighty  through  the  succour 
of  God.  His  final  triumph  is,  however,  pledged  to  him  by  the  word  of 
God,  which  appoints  him,  as  another  Melchizedek,  to  an  eternal  priest- 
hood, that  excludes  the  priesthood  of  Aaron,  and  by  the  victory  which 
God  has  already  given  him  in  the  day  of  His  wrath. 

"  This  is  a  picture  of  a  king  on  Zion  who  still  looks  forward  to  that 
which  in  Ps.  Ixxii.  8  sqq.  has  already  taken  place, — of  a  victorious,  mighty 
king,  who  however  is  still  ruling  in  the  midst  of  foes, — therefore  of  a  kiug 
such  as  Jesus  now  is,  to  whom  God  has  given  the  victory  over  heathen 
Rome,  and  to  whom  He  will  subdue  all  his  enemies  when  he  shall  again 
reveal  himself  in  the  world  ;  meanwhile  he  is  tlie  kingly  priest  and  the 
priestly  king  of  the  people  of  God.  The  prophet  who  utters  this  is  David. 
He  whom  he  addresses  as  Lord  is  the  king  who  is  appointed  to  become 
that  v/hich  Ps.  Ixxii.  describes  him  ;  it  is  therefore  he  of  whom  God  has 
spoken  according  to  2  Sara,  xxiii.  3.  David  beholds  him  in  a  moment  of 
his  ruling  to  which  the  moment  in  his  own  ruling  in  which  we  find  hira 
in  2  Sam.  xi.  1  is  typically  parallcL" 


PSALM  CT.  185 

phetico-lMessianIc  cliaracter  of  tlie  Psalm  was  acknowleilL^cJ  at 
that  time  (even  as  the  later  synagoj^ue,  in  spite  of  the  dilemma 
into  which  this  Psalm  brou(:;ht  it  in  opposition  to  the  church, 
has  never  been  able  entirely  to  avoid  this  confession),  the 
conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  this  Psalm  must  have  been  felt 
by  the  Pharisees  themselves,  that  the  Messiah,  because  the  Son 
of  David  and  Lord  at  the  same  time,  was  of  human  and  at 
the  same  time  of  superhuman  nature;  that  it  was  therefore 
in  accordance  with  Scripture  if  this  Jesus,  who  represented 
Himself  to  be  the  predicted  Christ,  should  as  such  profess  to 
be  the  Son  of  God  and  of  divine  nature. 

The  New  Testament  also  assumes  elsewhere  tliat  David  in 
this  Psalm  speaks  not  of  himself,  but  directly  of  Him,  in  whom 
the  Davidic  kingship  should  finally  and  for  ever  fulfil  that  of 
which  the  promise  speaks.  For  ver.  1  is  regarded  elsewhere 
too  as  a  jirophecy  of  the  exaltation  of  Christ  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  Father,  and  of  His  final  victory  over  all  His  enemies: 
Acts  ii.  34  sq,,  1  Cor.  xv.  25,  Heb.  i.  13,  x.  13 ;  and  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  (ch.  v.  6,  vii.  17,  21)  bases  its  demonstration 
of  the  abrogation  of  the  Levitical  priesthood  by  the  Melchi- 
zedek  priesthood  of  Jesus  Christ  upon  ver.  4.  But  if  even 
David,  who  raised  the  Levitical  priesthood  to  the  pinnacle  of 
splendour  that  had  never  existed  before,  was  a  priest  after 
the  manner  of  Melchizedek,  it  is  not  intelligible  how  the  priest- 
hood of  Jesus  Christ  after  the  manner  of  Melchizedek  is 
meant  to  be  a  proof  in  favour  of  the  termination  of  the  Levi- 
tical priesthood,  and  to  absolutely  preclude  its  continuance. 

AVe  will  not  therefore  deceive  ourselves  concerning  the 
apprehension  of  the  Psalm  which  is  presented  to  us  in  the 
New  Testament  Scriptures.  According  to  the  New  Testament 
Scriptures,  David  speaks  in  Ps.  ex.  not  merely  of  Christ  in 
so  far  as  the  Spirit  of  God  has  directed  him  to  speak  of  the 
Anointed  of  Jahve  in  a  typical  form,  but  directly  and  objec- 
tively in  a  prophetical  representation  of  the  Future  One.  And 
would  this  be  impossible?  Certainly  there  is  no  other  Psalm 
in  which  David  distinguishes  between  himself  and  the  Mfssiah, 
and  has  the  latter  before  him  :  the  other  Messianic  Psalms  of 
David  are  reflections  of  his  radical,  ideal  contemplation  of 
himself,  reflected  images  of  his  own  typical  history;  they  con- 
tain  prophetic  elements,   because   David   there  too  speaks  tv 


1S6  PSALM  ex. 

nveviJbari^  but  elements  that  are  not  solved  by  the  person  of 
David.  Nevertheless  the  last  words  of  David  in  2  Sam.  xxiii. 
1-7  prove  to  us  that  we  need  not  be  surprised  to  find  even 
a  directly  ^lessianic  Psalm  cominfjf  from  his  lips.  After  the 
splendour  of  all  that  pertained  to  David  individually  had 
almost  entirely  expired  in  his  own  eyes  and  in  the  eyes  of  those 
about  him,  he  must  have  been  still  more  strongly  conscious  of 
the  distance  between  what  had  been  realized  in  himself  and 
the  idea  of  the  Anointed  of  God,  as  he  lay  on  his  death-bed, 
as  his  sun  was  going  down.  Since,  however,  all  the  glory  with 
which  God  has  favoured  him  comes  up  once  more  before  his 
soul,  he  feels  himself,  to  tiie  glory  of  God,  to  be  "  the  man 
raised  up  on  high,  the  anointed  of  the  God  of  Jacob,  the 
sweet  singer  of  Israel,"  and  the  instrument  of  the  Spirit  of 
Jahve.  This  he  has  been,  and  he,  who  as  such  contemplated 
himself  as  the  immortal  one,  must  now  die :  then  in  dying  he 
seizes  the  pillars  of  the  divine  promise,  he  lets  go  the  ground 
of  his  own  present,  and  looks  as  a  prophet  into  the  future  of 
his  seed  :  Tlie  God  of  Israel  hath  said,  to  me  hath  the  Rock  of 
Israel  spoken  :  "  A  ruler  of  men,  a  just  one,  a  rider  in  the  fear 
of  God ;  and  as  the  light  of  the  morning,  ivhen  the  sun  riseth,  a 
cloudless  morning,  ivhen  after  sunshine,  after  rain  it  becomes 
green  out  of  the  earth."  For  not  little  (J^'^  to  be  explained 
according  to  Job  ix.  35,  cf.  Num.  xiii.  33,  Isa.  li.  6)  is  my 
house  xoith  God,  hut  an  everlasting  covenant  hath  He  made  with 
me,  one  ordered  in  all  things  and  sure,  for  all  my  salvation  and 
all  my  favour — ouglit  He  not  to  cause  it  to  sprout  ?  The  idea 
of  the  Messiah  shall  notwithstanding  be  realized,  in  accordance 
with  the  promise,  within  his  own  house.  The  vision  of  the 
future  which  passes  before  his  soul  is  none  other  than  the 
picture  of  the  Messiah  detached  from  its  subjectivity.  And 
if  so  there,  why  may  it  not  also  have  been  so  even  in  Ps.  ex.  ? 
The  fact  that  Ps.  ex.  has  points  of  connection  with  cotem- 
poraneous  history  is  notwithstanding  the  less  to  be  denied,  as 
its  position  in  the  Fifth  Book  leads  one  to  suppose  that  it  is 
taken  out  of  its  cotemporary  annalistic  connection.  The  first 
of  these  connecting  links  is  the  bringing  of  the  Ark  home  to 
Zion.  Girded  with  the  linen  ephod  of  the  priest,  David  had 
accompanied  the  Ark  up  to  Zion  with  signs  of  rejoicing.  There 
upon  Zion  Jahve,  whose  earthly  throne  is  the  Ark,  now  took 


PSALM  ex.  187 

His  place  at  the  side  of  David;  but,  spiritually  considered,  the 
matter  stood  properly  tlius,  that  Jahve,  when  He  established 
Himself  upon  Zion,  granted  to  David  to  sit  henceforth  en- 
throned at  His  side.  The  second  connecting  link  is  the  victo- 
rious termination  of  the  Syro-Ammonitish  war,  and  also  of  the 
Edomitish  war  that  came  in  between.  The  war  with  the 
Ammonites  and  their  allies,  the  greatest,  longest,  and  most 
glorious  of  David's  wars,  ended  in  the  second  year,  when 
David  himself  joined  the  army,  with  the  conquest  of  Kabbah. 
These  two  cotemporary  connecting  links  are  to  be  recognised, 
but  they  only  furnish  the  Psalm  with  the  typical  ground-colour 
for  its  prophetical  contents. 

In  this  Psalm  David  looks  forth  from  the  height  upon 
which  Jahve  has  raised  him  by  the  victory  over  Amnion  into 
the  future  of  his  seed,  and  there  He  who  carries  forward  the 
work  begun  by  him  to  the  highest  pitch  is  his  Lord.  Over 
against  this  King  of  the  future,  David  is  not  king,  but  subject. 
He  calls  him,  as  one  out  of  the  people,  "  my  Lord."  Tliis  is 
the  situation  of  the  prophetico-kingly  poet.  He  has  received 
new  revelations  concerning  the  future  of  his  seed.  He  lias 
come  down  from  his  throne  and  the  height  of  his  power,  and 
looks  up  to  the  Future  One.  He  too  sits  enthroned  on  Zion. 
He  too  is  victorious  from  thence.  But  His  fellowship  with  God 
is  the  most  intimate  imaginable,  and  the  last  enemy  is  also  laid 
at  His  feet.  And  He  is  not  merely  king,  who  as  a  priest  pro- 
vides for  the  salvation  of  His  people,  He  is  an  eternal  Priest 
by  virtue  of  a  sworn  promise.  The  Psalm  therefore  relates  to 
the  history  of  the  future  upon  a  typical  ground-work.  It  is 
also  explicable  why  the  triumph  in  the  case  of  Ammon  and 
the  Messianic  image  have  been  thus  to  David's  mind  dis- 
connected from  himself.  In  the  midst  of  that  war  conies  the 
sin  of  David,  which  cast  a  shadow  of  sorrow  over  the  whole  of 
his  future  life  and  reduced  its  typical  glory  to  ashes.  Out  of 
these  ashes  the  phoenix  of  Messianic  prophecy  here  arises.  Tiie 
type,  come  back  to  the  conscious  of  himself,  here  lays  down  his 
crown  at  the  feet  of  the  Antitype. 

Ps.  ex.  consists  of  three  sevens,  a  tetrastich  together  with 
a  tristich  following  three  times  upon  one  another.  The  lichia 
magnum  in  ver.  2  is  a  security  for  this  stichic  division,  and  in 
like  manner  the  Olewejored  by  lj''n  in  ver.  3,  and  in  general 


188  PSALM  ex.  1,  2. 

the  interpunction  required  by  the  sense.  And  vers.  1  and  2 
show  decisively  that  it  is  to  be  thus  divided  into  4  "H  3  lines  ; 
for  ver.  1  with  its  rhyming  inflexions  makes  itself  known  as 
a  tetrastich,  and  to  take  it  together  with  ver.  2  as  a  heptastich 
is  opposed  by  the  new  turn  which  the  Psalm  takes  in  ver.  2. 
It  is  also  just  the  same  with  ver.  4  in  relation  to  ver.  3  :  these 
seven  stichs  stand  in  just  the  same  organic  relation  to  the 
second  divine  utterance  as  the  preceding  seveu  to  the  first 
utterance.  And  since  vers.  1-4  give  twice  4  +  3  lines,  vers. 
.5-7  also  will  be  organized  accordingly.  There  are  really  seven 
lines,  of  which  the  fifth,  contrary  to  the  Masoretic  division  of 
the  verse,  forms  with  ver.  7  the  final  tristich. 

The  Psalm  therefore  bears  the  threefold  impress  of  the 
number  seven,  which  is  the  number  of  an  oath  and  of  a  cove- 
nant. Its  impress,  then,  is  thoroughly  prophetic.  Two  divine 
utterances  are  introduced,  and  that  not  such  as  are  familiar  to 
us  from  the  history  of  David  and  only  reproduced  here  in  a 
poetic  form,  as  with  Ps.  Ixxxix.  and  cxxxii.,  but  utterances  of 
which  nothing  is  known  from  the  history  of  David,  and  such 
as  we  hear  for  the  first  time  here.  Tiie  divine  name  Jahve 
occurs  three  times.  God  is  designedly  called  Adonaj  the 
fourth  time.  The  Psalm  is  consequently  prophetic ;  and  in 
order  to  bring  the  inviolable  and  mysterious  nature  even  of  its 
contents  into  comparison  with  the  contemplation  of  its  outward 
character,  it  has  been  organized  as  a  threefold  septiad,  which 
is  sealed  with  the  thrice  recurring  tetragramma. 

Vers.  1,  2.  In  Ps.  xx.  and  xxi.  we  see  at  once  in  the 
openings  that  what  we  have  before  us  is  the  language  of  the 
people  concerning  their  king.  Here  ""P^  in  ver.  1  does  not 
favour  this,  and  2^3  is  decidedly  against  it.  The  former  does 
not  favour  it,  for  it  is  indeed  correct  that  the  subject  calls  his 
king  "  my  lord,''  e.g.  1  Sam.  xxii.  12,  although  the  more  exact 
form  of  address  is  "  my  lord  the  king,"  e.g.  1  Sam.  xxiv.  9  [8] ; 
but  if  the  people  are  speaking  here,  what  is  the  object  of  the 
title  of  honour  being  expressed  as  if  coming  from  the  mouth 
of  an  individual,  and  why  not  rather,  as  in  Ps.  xx.,  xxi.,  "^^oh 
or  ilT'^p^  ?  DW  is,  however,  decisive  against  the  supposition 
that  it  is  an  Israelite  who  here  exj)resses  himself  concerning 
the  relation  of  his  king  to  Jahve.     For  it  is  absurd  to  suppose 


PSALM  ex.  1,  2.  180 

that  an  Israelite  speakingj  in  the  name  of  the  people  would 
begin  in  the  manner  of  the  prophets  with  DX3,  more  particu- 
larly since  this  'n  DX3  placed  thus  at  the  head  of  the  discourse 
is  without  any  perfectly  analogous  example  (1  Sam.  ii.  30,  Isa, 
i.  24  are  only  similar)  elsewhere,  and  is  therefore  extremelv 
important.  In  general  this  opening  position  of  0X3^  even  in 
cases  where  other  genit  ves  than  n'\r{'<  follow,  is  very  rare;  DX3 
is  found  besides,  so  placed,  only  in  the  mouth  of  Balaam  in 
Num.  xxiv.  3  sq.,  15  sq.,  of  David  in  2  Sam.  xxiii.  1,  of  Agur 
in  Prov.  xxx.  1,  and  always  (even  in  Ps.  xxxvi.  2)  in  an  oracular 
signification.  Moreover,  if  one  from  among  the  people  were 
sj)eaking,  the  declaration  ought  to  be  a  retrospective  glance  at 
a  past  utterance  of  God.  But,  first,  the  history  knows  nothing 
of  any  such  divine  utterance  ;  and  secondly,  'n  DN3  always  intro- 
duces God  as  actually  speaking,  to  which  even  the  passage 
cited  by  Hofmann  to  the  contrary,  Num.  xiv.  28,  forms  no 
exception.  Thus  it  will  consequently  not  be  a  past  utterance 
of  God  to  which  the  poet  glances  back  here,  but  one  which 
David  has  just  now  heard  iv  irvevfiaTt  (Matt.  xxii.  43),  and  is 
therefore  not  a  declaration  of  the  people  concerning  David, 
but  of  David  concerning  Christ.  The  unique  character  of  the 
declaration  confirms  this.  Of  the  king  of  Israel  it  is  said  that 
he  sits  on  the  throne  of  Jahve  (1  Chron.  xxix.  23),  viz.  as 
visible  representative  of  the  invisible  King  (1  Chron.  xxviii.  5) ; 
Jahve,  however,  commands  the  person  here  addressed  to  take 
his  place  at  His  right  hand.  The  right  hand  of  a  king  is  the 
highest  place  of  honour,  1  Kings  ii.  19.*  Here  the  sitting 
at  the  right  hand  signifies  not  merely  an  idle  honour,  but 
reception  into  the  fellowship  of  God  as  regards  dignity  and 
dominion,  exaltation  to  a  participation  in  God's  reigning  (/3a- 
aiXeveLv,  1  Cor.  xv.  25).  Just  as  Jahve  sits  enthroned  in  the 
heavens  and  laughs  at  the  rebels  here  below,  so  i>hall  he  who  is 
exalted  henceforth  share  this  blessed  calm  with  Him,  until  He 
subdues  all  enemies  to  him,  and  therefore  makes  him  the  un- 
limited, universally  acknowledged  ruler.  iy  as  in  Hos.  x.  12, 
for  ■•any  or  ll^'k^'ny,  does  not  exclude  the  time  that  lies  beyond, 


*  Cf.  the  custom  of  the  old  Arabian  kings  to  have  their  viceroy  (rid/) 
Bitting  at  their  right  hand,  MonumeiUa  outiquiss.  hist.  Arabuiiif  ed.  Eicli' 
born,  p.  220. 


190  PSALM  ex.  3,  4. 

but  as  in  cxli.  8,  Gen.  xlix.  10,  includes  it,  and  in  fact  so  that 
it  at  any  rate  marks  the  final  subjugation  of  the  enemies  as  a 
turning-point  with  which  something  else  comes  about  (vid.  Acts 
iii.  21,  1  Cor.  xv.  28).  ClI  is  an  accusative  of  the  predicate. 
The  enemies  shall  come  to  lie  under  his  feet  (1  Kings  v.  17  [3]), 
his  feet  tread  upon  the  necks  of  the  vanquished  (Josh.  x.  24), 
so  that  the  resistance  that  is  overcome  becomes  as  it  were  the 
dark  ground  upon  which  the  glory  of  his  victorious  rule  arises. 
For  the  history  of  time  ends  with  the  triumph  of  good  over 
evil, — not,  however,  with  the  annihilation  of  evil,  but  with  its 
subjugation.  This  is  the  issue,  inasmuch  as  absolute  omnipo- 
tence is  effectual  on  behalf  of  and  through  the  exalted  Christ. 
In  ver.  2,  springing  from  the  utterance  of  Jahve,  follow  words 
expressing  a  prophetic  prospect.  Zion  is  the  imperial  abode  of 
the  great  future  King  (ii.  6).  ^fV  ntao  (cf.  Jer.  xlviii.  17, 
Ezek.  xix.  11-14)  signifies  "  the  sceptre  (as  insignia  and  the 
medium  of  exercise)  of  the  authority  delegated  to  thee"  (1  Sam, 
ii.  10,  Mic.  v.  3  [4]).  Jahve  will  stretch  this  sceptre  far  forth 
from  Zion  :  no  goal  is  mentioned  up  to  which  it  shall  extend, 
but  passages  like  Zech.  ix.  10  show  how  the  prophets  under- 
stand such  Psalms.  In  ver.  26  follow  the  words  with  which 
Jahve  accompanies  this  extension  of  the  dominion  of  the  ex- 
alted One.  Jahve  will  lay  all  his  enemies  at  his  feet,  but  not 
in  such  a  manner  that  he  himself  remains  idle  in  the  matter. 
Thus,  then,  having  come  into  the  midst  of  the  sphere  (^"i!!!^?)  of 
his  enemies,  shall  he  reign,  forcing  them  to  submission  and 
holding  them  down.  We  read  this  nnn  in  a  Messianic  connec- 
tion in  Ixxii.  8.  So  even  in  the  prophecy  of  Balaam  (Num. 
xxiv.  19),  where  the  sceptre  (ch.  xxiv.  17)  is  an  emblem  of  the 
Messiah  Himself. 

Vers.  3,  4.  In  order  that  he  may  rule  thus  victoriously,  it 
is  necessary  that  there  should  be  a  people  and  an  army.  In 
accordance  with  this  union  of  the  thoughts  which  ver.  3a 
anticipates,  ^^''n  DVa  signifies  in  the  day  of  thy  ari'iere  ban,  i.e. 
when  thou  callest  up  thy  "power  of  an  army"  (2  Chron.  xxvi. 
13)  to  muster  and  go  forth  to  battle.  In  this  day  are  the 
people  of  the  king  willingnesses  (^^^13),  i.e.  entirely  cheerful 
readiness ;  ready  for  any  sacrifices,  they  bring  themselves  with 
all  that  they  are  and  have  to  meet  him.  There  is  no  need  of 
any  compulsory,  lengthy  proclamation  calling  them  out :  it  is 


PSALM  ex.  3,  4.  ini 

no  army  of  mercenaries,  but  willin-rly  and  quickly  they  present 
themselves  from  inward  impulse  (3"n:np,  Judg.  v.  2,  9).  The 
punctuation,  which  makes  the  principal  ciesura  at  l^^n  with 
Olewejored,  makes  the  parallelism  of  nS"'n  and  ^n^^^.  distinctlv 
prominent.  Just  as  the  former  does  not  signify  rohoris  tui,  so 
now  too  the  latter  does  not,  according  to  Eccles.  xi.  9,  signify 
TraiSioTTjTo^  <Tov  (Aquila),  and  not,  as  Hofmann  interprets,  the 
dew-like  freshness  of  youthful  vigour,  which  the  morning  of 
the  great  day  sheds  over  the  king.  Just  as  r\^bi  signifies  both 
exile  and  the  exiled  ones,  so  nnp^,  like  veorrj^;,  jitvenlu^,  jnvenhu 
signifies  both  the  time  and  age  of  youth,  youthfuliiess,  and 
youthful,  young  men  (the  youth),  ^foreover  one  does  not, 
after  ver.  3a,  look  for  any  further  declaration  concerning  tlf 
nature  of  the  king,  but  of  his  people  who  place  themselves  at 
his  service.  The  young  men  are  likened  to  dew  which  gently 
descends  upon  the  king  out  of  the  womb  (uterus)  of  the  morn- 
ing-red.* intt'b  is  related  to  injj»  just  as  "n^'H^  is  to  "^y'n ;  the 
notion  of  inc'  and  "]*J'n  appears  to  be  more  sharply  defined,  and 
as  it  were  apprehended  more  massively-,  in  "inrb  and  Tu'riD.  Tiie 
host  of  young  men  is  likened  to  the  dew  both  on  account  of 
its  vigorousness  and  its  multitude,  which  are  like  the  freshness 
of  the  mountain  dew  and  the  immense  number  of  its  drops, 
2  Sam.  xvii.  12  (cf.  Num.  xxiii.  10),  and  on  account  of  the 
silent  concealment  out  of  which  it  wondrously  and  suddenly 
comes  to  light,  Mic.  v.  6  [7].  After  not  having  understood 
"thy  youth"  of  the  youthfulness  of  the  king,  we  shall  now 
also  not,  with  Hofmann,  refer  B'"i"p"''"iin2  to  the  king,  the  holy 
attire  of  his  armour,     ^p  ni/in  is  the  vestment  of  the  priest 


*  The  LXX.  renders  it :  h  rui;  'hccy.TrpoTYia'  ruv  xyioiv  uov  (bclougiug  to 
the  preceding  clause),  ix.  yotorpig  irpo  'iuij<f}6pov  iytuvma.  ai  (Psalt.  Yorou. 
exegennesa  se ;  Bcimherg.  gegennica  se).  The  Vulgate,  following  the  Italic 
closely:  in  splenduribus  sanctorum;  ex  utero  ante  lucifernm  gemd  te.  The 
Fathers  in  some  cases  interpret  it  of  the  birth  of  the  Lord  at  Christmas, 
but  most  of  them  of  His  antemundaoe  birth,  and  accordingly  ApoUiiiaiis 
paraphrases :  yxarpo;  KUp-rrog  ifir,;  vpo  iuajooov  ctlto;  Wvxdyi;.  In  his  own 
independent  translation  Jerome  reads  mna  (as  in  Ixxxvii.  1),  in  montihux 
Sanctis  quasi  de  vulva  orietur  tihi  ros  adolescentix  tnse,  as  Syminachus  -v 
iptmy  i'/ioi;, — elsewhere,  however,  iv  8o|>j  dytun.  The  substitution  is  not 
unmeaning,  since  the  ideas  of  dew  and  of  mountains  (cxxxviii.  3)  aro 
easily  united ;  but  it  was  more  important  to  give  prominence  to  ih« 
holiness  of  the  equipment  than  to  that  of  the  place  of  meeting. 


192  PSALM  ex.  3,  4. 

for  performing  divine  service :  the  Levite  singers  went  forth 
before  the  army  in  "holy  attire"  in  2  Chron.  xx.  21;  here, 
however,  the  people  without  distinction  wear  holy  festive  gar- 
ments. Thus  they  surround  the  divine  king  as  dew  that  is 
born  out  of  the  womb  of  the  morning-red.  It  is  a  priestly 
people  which  he  leads  forth  to  holy  battle,  just  as  in  Apoc.  xix. 
14  heavenly  armies  follow  the  Logos  of  God  upon  white  horses, 
evSeSv/jLevot  ^vaaivov  XevKov  Kadapov — a  new  generation,  won- 
derful as  if  born  out  of  heavenly  light,  numerous,  fresh,  and 
vigorous  like  the  dew-drops,  the  offspring  of  the  dawn.  The 
thought  that  it  is  a  priestly  people  leads  over  to  ver.  4.  The 
king  who  leads  this  priestly  people  is,  as  we  hear  in  ver.  4,  him- 
self a  priest  (colien).  As  has  been  shown  by  Hupfeld  and 
Fleischer,  the  priest  is  so  called  as  one  who  stands  (from  jns  = 
p3  in  an  intransitive  signification),  viz.  before  God  (Deut.  x. 
8,  cf.  Ps.  cxxxiv.  1,  Heb.  x.  11),  like  i<''?3  the  spokesman,  viz. 
of  God.*  To  stand  before  God  is  the  same  as  to  serve  Him, 
viz.  as  priest.  The  ruler  whom  the  Psalm  celebrates  is  a  priest 
who  intervenes  in  the  reciprocal  dealings  between  God  and 
His  people  within  the  province  of  divine  worship ;  the  priestly 
character  of  the  people  who  suffer  themselves  to  be  led  forth  to 
battle  and  victory  by  him,  stands  in  causal  connection  with  the 
priestly  character  of  this  their  king.  He  is  a  priest  by  virtue 
of  the  promise  of  God  confirmed  by  an  oath.  The  oath  is  not 
merely  a  pledge  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  but  also  a  seal 
of  the  high  significance  of  its  purport.  God  the  absolutely  truth- 
ful One  (Num.  xiii.  19)  swears — this  is  the  highest  enhance- 
ment of  the  'n  DX^  of  which  prophecy  is  capable  (Amos  vi.  8). 
He  appoints  the  person  addressed  as  a  priest  for  ever  "  after 
the  manner  of  Melchizedek"  in  this  most  solemn  manner.  The 
i  of  ^m2T  is  the  same  ancient  connecting  vowel  as  in  the  ''2h'0 
of  the  name  Melchizedek ;  and  it  has  the  tone,  which  it  loses 
when,  as  in  Lam.  i.  1,  a  tone-syllable  follows.      The  wide- 


*  The  Arabic  lexicographers  explain  ^^  by  ^\s>-Ji\  j^\j   ^JL;      „« 

A'ip>-\s>-      J     ^x,mJ  »,  "he  who  stands  and  does  any  one's  business  and 

manages  his  affair."      That  aIj,  Dip,  and  J^v-c,  Pt^O,  side  by  side  with 

noy  are  synonyms  of  [n3  in  this  sense  of  standing  ready  for  service  and  ia 
nu  uliicial  capacity. 


PSALM  ex.  3,  4.  193 

meaning  mn"n"7y,  "in  respect  to,  on  account  of,"  Eccles.  iii.  18, 
vii.  14,  viii.  2,  is  here  specialized  to  the  signification  "  after  the 
manner,  measure  of,"  LXX.  Kara  ti]v  rd^tv.  The  priesthood 
is  to  be  united  with  the  kino;ship  in  him  who  rules  out  of  Zion, 
just  as  it  was  in  Melchizedek,  king  of  Salem,  and  that  for  ever. 
According  to  De  Wette,  Ewald,  and  Hofmann,  it  is  not  any- 
special  priesthood  that  is  meant  here,  but  that  which  was 
bestowed  directly  with  the  kingship,  consisting  in  the  fact  that 
the  king  of  Israel,  by  reason  of  his  office,  commended  liis  people 
in  prayer  to  God  and  blessed  them  in  the  name  of  God,  and 
also  had  the  ordering  of  Jahve's  sanctuary  and  service.  Now 
it  is  true  all  Israel  is  a  "kingdom  of  priests"  (Ex.  xix.  6,  cf. 
Num.  xvi.  3,  Isa.  Ixi.  6),  and  the  kingly  vocation  in  Israel  must 
therefore  also  be  regarded  as  in  its  way  a  priestly  vocation.  But 
this  spiritual  priesthood,  and,  if  one  will,  this  princely  oversight 
of  sacred  things,  needed  not  to  come  to  David  first  of  all  by 
solemn  promise;  and  that  of  Melchizedek,  after  which  the 
relationship  is  here  defined,  is  incongruous  to  him;  for  the 
king  of  Salem  was,  according  to  Canaanitish  custom,  which 
admitted  of  the  union  of  the  kingship  and  priesthood,  reallv  a 
high  priest,  and  therefore,  regarded  from  an  Israelitish  point 
of  view,  united  in  his  own  person  the  offices  of  David  and  of 
Aaron.  How  could  David  be  called  a  priest  after  the  manner 
of  Melchizedek,  he  wdio  had  no  claim  upon  the  tithes  of  the 
priests  like  Melchizedek,  and  to  whom  was  denied  the  authority 
to  offer  sacrifice  *  inseparable  from  the  idea  of  the  priesthood 
in  the  Old  Testament  ?  (cf.  2  Chron.  xx\-i.  20.)  If  David  were 
the  person  addressed,  the  declaration  would  stand  in  antagonism 
with  the  right  of  Melchizedek  as  priest  recorded  in  Gen.  ch. 
xiv.,  which,  according  to  the  indisputable  representation  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  was  equal  in  compass  to  the  Levitico- 
Aaronic  right,  and,  since  "after  the  manner  of"  requires  a 
coincident  reciprocal  relation,  in  antagonism  to  itself  also.f 
One  might  get  on  more  easily  with  ver.  4  by  rcferrini:  the 


*  G.  Enjedin  the  Socinian  (died  1597)  accordingly,  in  referring  tliis 
Psalm  to  David,  started  from  the  assumption  that  priestly  functions  have 
been  granted  exceptionally  by  God  to  this  king  as  to  no  other ;  vhl.  the 
literature  of  the  controversy  to  which  this  gave  rise  in  Serpilius,  Personalia 
Davidis,  S.  268-274. 

t  Just  so  Kurtz,  Zur  Theoh'jie  der  Psalmcn,  he.  cit.  S.  523. 
VOL.  III.  18 


194  PSAUI  ex.  5-7. 

Psalm  to  one  of  the  Maccabsean  priest-princes  (Hitzig,  von 
Lengerke,  and  Olshausen)  ;  and  we  should  then  prefer  to  the 
reference  to  Jonathan  who  put  on  the  holy  stola^  1  Mace.  x. 
21  (so  Hitzig  formerly),  or  Alexander  Jannseus  who  actually 
bore  the  title  of  king  (so  Hitzig  now),  the  reference  to  Simon, 
whom  the  people  appointed  to  "  be  their  governor  and  high 
priest  for  ever,  until  there  should  arise  a  faithful  prophet" 
(1  Mace.  xiv.  41),  after  the  death  of  Jonathan  his  brother — a 
union  of  the  two  offices  which,  although  an  irregularity,  was  not 
one,  however,  that  was  absolutely  illegal.  But  the  priesthood, 
which  the  Maccabseans,  however,  possessed  originally  as  being 
priests  born,  is  promised  to  the  person  addressed  here  in  ver.  4  ; 
and  even  supposing  that  in  ver.  4  the  emphasis  lay  not  on  a 
union  of  the  priesthood  with  the  kingship,  but  of  the  kingship 
with  the  priesthood,  then  the  retrospective  reference  to  it  in 
Zechariah  forbids  our  removing  the  Psalm  to  a  so  much  later 
period.  Why  should  we  not  rather  be  guided  in  our  under- 
standing of  this  divine  utterance,  which  is  unique  in  the  Old 
Testament,  by  this  prophet,  whose  prophecy  in  ch.  vi.  12  sq.  is 
the  key  to  it?  Zechariah  removes  the  fulfilment  of  the  Psalm 
out  of  the  Old  Testament  present,  with  its  blunt  separation 
between  the  monarchical  and  hierarchical  dignity,  into  the 
domain  of  the  future,  and  refers  it  to  Jahve's  Branch  (np^) 
that  is  to  come.  He,  who  will  build  the  true  temple  of  God, 
satisfactorily  unites  in  his  one  person  the  priestly  with  the 
kingly  office,  which  were  at  that  time  assigned  to  Joshua  the 
high  priest  and  Zerubbabel  the  prince.  Thus  this  Psalm  was 
understood  by  the  later  prophecy;  and  in  what  other  sense 
could  the  post-Davidic  church  have  appropriated  it  as  a  prayer 
and  hymn,  than  in  the  eschatological  Messianic  sense?  But 
this  sense  is  also  verified  as  the  original.  David  here  hears 
that  the  king  of  the  future  exalted  at  the  right  hand  of  Got!, 
and  whom  he  calls  his  Lord,  is  at  the  same  time  an  eternal 
priest.  And  because  he  is  both  these  his  battle  itself  is  a 
priestly  royal  work,  and  just  on  this  account  his  people  fighting 
with  him  also  wear  priestly  garments. 

Vers.  5-7.  Just  as  in  ver.  2  after  ver.  1,  so  now  here  too 
after  the  divine  utterance,  the  poet  continues  in  a  reflective 
strain.  The  Lord,  says  ver.  5,  dashes  in  pieces  kings  at  the 
right  hand  of  this  priest-king,  in  the  day  when  His  wrath  is 


PSALM  ex.  5-7.  195 

kindled  (ii.  12,  cf.  xxi.  10).  'pX  is  rightly  accented  as  subject. 
The  fact  that  the  victorious  work  of  the  person  addressed  is 
not  his  own  work,  but  the  work  of  Jahve  on  his  behalf  and 
through  him,  harmonizes  with  ver.  lb.  The  sitting  of  the 
exalted  one  at  the  right  hand  of  Jahve  denotes  his  uniform 
participation  in  His  high  dignity  and  dominion.  But  in  the  fact 
that  the  Lord,  standing  at  his  right  hand  (cf.  the  counterpart 
in  cix.  6),  helps  him  to  victory,  that  unchangeable  relationship 
is  shown  in  its  historical  working.  The  right  hand  of  the 
exalted  one  is  at  the  same  time  not  inactive  (see  Num.  xxiv. 
17,  cf.  ver.  8),  and  the  Lord  does  not  fail  him  when  he  is  obliged 
to  use  his  arm  against  his  foes.  The  subject  to  PIJ  and  to  the 
two  Y^^  is  the  Lord  as  acting  through  him.  "He  shall  judge 
among  the  peoples  "  is  an  eschatological  hope,  vii.  9,  ix.  9,  xcvi. 
10,  cf.  1  Sam.  ii.  10.  What  the  result  of  this  iudirment  of  the 
peoples  is,  is  stated  by  the  neutrally  used  verb  NPO  with  its 
accusative  ni'lJ  (cf.  on  the  construction  Ixv.  10,  Deut.  xxxiv. 
9)  :  it  there  becomes  full  of  corpses,  there  is  there  a  multitude 
of  corpses  covering  everything.  This  is  the  same  thought  as 
in  Isa.  Ixvi.  24,  and  wrought  out  in  closely  related  connection 
in  Apoc.  xix.  17,  xviii.  21.  Like  the  first  Y^^,  the  second  (ver. 
6c)  is  also  a  perfect  of  the  ideal  past.  Accordingly  nan  px 
seems  to  signify  the  earth  or  a  country  (cf.  nan")  px^  Ex.  iii.  8, 
Neh.  ix.  35)  broad  and  wide,  like  nan  Dinn  the  great  far- 
stretching  deep.  But  it  might  also  be  understood  the  "  land 
of  Kabbah,"  as  they  say  the  "land  of  Jazer"  (Num.  xxxii.  1), 
the  "country  of  Goshen  "  (Josh.  x.  41),  and  the  like ;  therefore 
the  land  of  the  Ammonites,  whose  chief  city  is  Rabbah.  It  is 
also  questionable  whether  nan  pX"by  K'NT  is  to  be  taken  like 
Ke<f)aXr)v  virep  iravra,  Eph.  i.  22  (Hofmann),  or  wluther  pN"^y 
nan  belongs  to  K09  ^s  a  designation  of  the  battle-field.  TJie 
parallels  as  to  the  word  and  the  thing  itself,  Ixviii.  22,  Hab. 
iii.  13  sq.,  speak  for  B'Nn  signifying  not  the  chief,  but  the  head  ; 
not,  however,  in  a  collective  sense  (LXX.,  Targuni),  but  the 
head  of  the  Vi^n  kut  e|o;^>;i^  {vid.  Isa.  xi.  4).  If  this  is  the  case, 
and  the  construction  b])  C'Nn  is  accordingly  to  be  given  up, 
neither  is  it  now  to  be  rendered :  He  breaks  in  pieces  a  head 
upon  the  land  of  Rabbah,  but  upon  a  great  (broad)  land ;  in 
connection  with  which,  however,  this  designation  of  the  place 
of  battle  takes  its  rise  from  the  fact  that  the  head  of  the  ruler 


19  G  PSALM  CXI. 

over  this  great  territory  is  intended,  and  the  choice  of  the  word 
may  have  been  determined  by  an  allusion  to  David's  Ammon- 
itish  war.  The  subject  of  ver.  7  is  now  not  that  arch-fiend,  as 
he  who  in  the  course  of  history  renews  his  youth,  that  shall  rise 
up  again  (as  we  explained  it  formerly),  but  he  whom  the  Psalm, 
which  is  thus  rounded  off  with  unity  of  plan,  celebrates.  Ver. 
la  expresses  the  toil  of  his  battle,  and  ver.  lb  the  reward  of 
undertaking  the  toil.  |3"''V  is  therefore  equivalent  to  avrl 
Tovrov.  T}/}^,  however,  although  it  might  belong  to  Pn3D  (of 
the  brook  by  the  wayside,  Ixxxiii.  10,  cvi.  7),  is  correctly  drawn 
to  nri^'^  by  the  accentuation  :  he  shall  on  his  arduous  way,  the 
way  of  his  mission  (cf.  cii.  24),  be  satisfied  with  a  drink  from 
the  brook.  He  will  stand  still  only  for  a  short  time  to  refresh 
himself,  and  in  order  then  to  fight  afresh ;  he  will  unceasingly 
pursue  his  work  of  victory  without  giving  himself  any  time  for 
rest  and  sojourn,  and  therefore  (as  the  reward  for  it)  it  shall 
come  to  pass  that  he  may  lift  his  head  on  high  as  victor  ;  and 
this,  understood  in  a  christological  sense,  harmonizes  essentially 
with  Phil.  ii.  8  sq.,  Heb.  xii.  2,  Apoc.  v.  9  sq. 

PSALM    CXI. 

ALPHABETICAL  SONG  IN  PRAISE  OF  GOD. 

Hallelujah. 

1  S  I  WILL  give  thanks  unto  Jahve  with  the  whole  heart, 
3  In  the  council  of  the  upright  and  the  congregation. 

2  a    Great  are  the  deeds  of  Jahve, 

T   Worthy  of  being  sought  after  in  all  their  purposes. 

3  n   Glory  and  splendour  is  His  work, 

1   And  His  righteousness  endureth  for  ever. 

4  T   A  memorial  of  His  wonderful  works  hath  He  founded, 
n   Gracious  and  compassionate  is  Jahve. 

5  U   Meat  hath  He  given  to  those  who  fear  Him, 

"  He  remembereth  His  covenant  for  ever.  [works, 

0  3  He  hath  made  known  to  His  people  the  power  of  His 

^  Giving  to  them  the  heritage  of  the  heathen. 

7  J2  The  works  of  His  hands  are  truth  and  right, 
3  Faithful  are  all  His  statutes, 

8  D  Firm  for  ever  and  ever, 

U   Established  according  to  truth,  and  upright. 


PSALM  CXI, 


7 
PSALM  CXI,  '  197 


9  D  He  hath  sent  redemption  unto  His  people, 

V  He  hath  pledged  His  covenant  for  ever — 

p  Holy  and  reverend  is  His  Name. 

10  1  The  beginning  of  wisdom  is  the  fear  of  Jahve, 

B'  A  good  understanding  have  all  dutiful  ones ; 

n  He  shall  have  eternal  praise. 

With  Ps.  cxi.  begins  a  trilogy  of  Hallelujah-Psalms.  It 
may  be  appended  to  Ps.  ex.,  because  it  plat:es  the  "  for  ever" 
of  ex.  4  in  broader  light  in  relation  to  the  history  of  redemp- 
tion, by  stringing  praise  upon  praise  of  the  deeds  of  Jahve  and 
of  His  appointments.  It  stands  in  the  closest  relationship  to 
Ps.  cxii.  Whilst  Ps.  cxi.,  as  Hitzig  correctly  says,  celebrates 
the  glory,  might,  and  loving-kindness  of  Jahve  in  the  circle  of 
the  "  upright,"  Ps.  cxii.  celebrates  the  glory  flowing  therefrom 
and  the  happiness  of  the  "upright"  themselves,  of  those  who 
fear  Jahve.  Tiie  two  Psalms  are  twin  iu  form  as  in  contents. 
They  are  a  mixture  of  materials  taken  from  older  Psalms  and 
gnomical  utterances  ;  both  are  sententious,  and  both  alpha- 
betical. Each  consists  of  twenty-two  lines  with  the  twenty- 
two  letters  of  the  alphabet  at  the  beginning,*  and  every  line 
for  the  most  part  consists  of  three  words.  Both  songs  are  only 
chains  of  acrostic  lines  without  any  strophic  grouping,  and 
therefore  cannot  be  divided  out.  The  analogous  accentuation 
shows  how  strong  is  the  impression  of  the  close  relationship  of 
this  twin  pair;  and  both  Psalms  also  close,  in  vei-s.  9  and  10, 
with  two  verses  of  three  members,  being  up  to  this  point 
divided  into  verses  of  two  members. 

That  which  the  poet  purposes  doing  in  ver.  1,  he  puts  into 
execution  from  ver.  2  onwards.  n*7j;"i,  according  to  Ixiv.  7, 
cxviii.  14,  is  equivalent  to  Qn^Jfll..  According  to  ver.  lOi, 
^i7'rf?n  in  ver.  26  apparently  signifies  those  who  find  j)leasure 
in  them  (the  works  of  God);  but  >;Dn=:>;sn  (like  ^npb',  Isa. 
xxiv.  7  =  ^OP'f )  is  less  natural  than  that  it  should  be  the  con- 
struct form  of  the  plural  of  j'sn^  that  occurs  in  three  instances. 


*  Bijttcher  transposes  the  verses  in  Ps.  cxi.,  and  in  cxii.  5  corrects  ^53^3' 
into  ^3^D1 ;  in  the  warmth  of  his  critical  zeal  he  runs  ayainst  the  bouudary- 

^03t3  of  the  letters  marking  the  order,  without  observing  it. 


198  PSALM  CXI. 

and  there  was  no  need  for  saying  that  those  who  make  the 
works  of  God  the  object  of  their  research  are  such  as  interest 
themselves  in  them.  We  are  led  to  the  riirlit  meanino;  by 
ii*sn"p3p  in  1  Kings  ix.  11  in  comparison  with  Isa.  xliv.  28, 
xlvi.  10,  cf.  liii.  10,  where  Yp^  signifies  God's  purpose  in 
accordance  with  His  counsel :  constantly  searched  into,  and 
therefore  a  worthy  object  of  research  (ti^il,  root  11,  to  seek  to 

know  by  rubbing,  and  in  general  experimentally,  cf.  4_^J  of 

knowledge  empirically  acquired)  according  to  all  their  aims, 
■i.e.  in  all  phases  of  that  which  they  have  in  view.  In  ver.  4 
"13T  points  to  the  festival  which  propagates  the  remembrance  of 
the  deeds  of  God  in  the  Mosaic  age  ;  K}^,  ver.  5,  therefore 
points  to  the  food  provided  for  the  Exodus,  and  to  the  Passover 
meal,  together  with  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread,  this  memorial 
(n">3T,  Ex.  xii.  14)  of  the  exemption  in  faithfulness  to  the 
covenant  which  was  experienced  in  Egypt.  This  Psalm,  says 
Luther,  Igoks  to  me  as  though  it  had  been  composed  for  the 
festival  of  Easter.  Even  from  the  time  of  Theodoret  and 
Augustine  the  thought  of  the  Eucharist  has  been  connected 
with  ver.  5  in  the  New  Testament  mind  ;  and  it  is  not  without 
good  reason  that  Ps.  cxi.  has  become  the  Psalm  of  the  church 
at  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  In  connection  with 
T'Sn  one  is  reminded  of  the  Pesach-Haggada.  The  deed  of 
redemption  which  it  relates  has  a  power  that  continues  in 
operation  ;  for  to  the  church  of  Jahve  is  assigned  the  victory 
not  only  over  the  peoples  of  Canaan,  but  over  the  whole  world. 
The  power  of  Jahve's  deeds,  which  He  has  made  known  to 
His  people,  and  which  they  tell  over  again  among  themselves, 
aims  at  giving  them  the  inheritance  of  the  peoples.  The  works 
of  His  hands  are  truth  and  right,  for  they  are  the  realization 
of  that  which  is  true  and  which  lasts  and  verifies  itself,  and  of 
that  which  is  right,  that  triumphantly  maintains  its  ground. 
His  ordinances  are  ^"'•?9-^,^.  (occasionally  pointed  D'':?ON:)j  estab- 
lished, attested,  in  themt;elves  and  in  their  results  authorizing 
a  firm  confidence  in  their  salutariness  (cf.  xix.  8).  Ci'';)lOD,  sup- 
ported, stayed,  viz.  not  outwardly,  but  in  themselves,  therefore 
imperturbable  (cf.  '^I'^D  ^^^^d  of  the  state  of  mind,  cxii.  8,  Isa. 
xxvi.  3).  Dllb'y,  mouldeil,  arranged,  viz.  on  the  part  of  God, 
"in  truth,  and  upright;"  Tf^  is  accusative  of  the  predicate 


PSALM  CXI  I.  109 

(cf.  cxix.  37),  but  without  its  being  clear  why  it  is  not  pointed 
1'^"^^.  If  we  have  understood  vers.  4-6  correctly,  then  nins 
clances  back  at  the  deliverance  out  of  Egypt.  Upon  this 
followed  the  ratification  of  the  covenant  on  Sinai,  which  still 
remains  inviolable  down  to  the  present  time  of  the  poet,  and 
has  the  holiness  and  terribleness  of  the  divine  Name  for  a 
guarantee  of  its  inviolability.  The  fear  of  Jahve,  tliis  holy 
and  terrible  God,  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom — the  motto  of 
the  Chokma  in  Job  (ch.  xxviii.  28)  and  Proverbs  (ch.  i.  7, 
ix.  10),  the  Books  of  the  Chokma.  Ver.  \0h  goes  on  in  this 
Proverbs-like  strain :  the  fear  of  God,  which  manifests  itself 
in  obedience,  is  to  those  who  practise  them  (the  divine  pre- 
cepts, nnipD)  2iD  bb'  (Prov.  xiii.  15,  iii.  4,  cf.  2  Chron.  xxx. 
22),  a  fine  sagacity,  praiseworthy  discernment — such  a  (duti- 
ful) one  partakes  of  everlasting  praise.  It  is  true,  in  glancing 
back  to  ver.  36,  inpnri  seems  to  refer  to  God,  but  a  glance  for- 
ward to  cxii.  2>h  shows  that  the  praise  of  him  who  fears  God 
is  meant.  The  old  observation  therefore  holds  good :  uhi  hcec 
ode  desinit,  sequens  incipit  (Bakius). 


PSALM    CXII. 

ALPHABETICAL  SONG  IN  PRAISE  OP  THOSE  WHO  FEAR  GOD. 

Hallelujah. 

1  N   BLESSED  is  the  man  who  feareth  Jahve, 

3   Who  delighteth  greatly  in  His  commandments! 

2  a    His  seed  shall  become  mighty  upon  earth, 
T   The  generation  of  the  upright  is  blessed. 

3  n   Wealth  and  riches  are  in  his  house, 

1  And  his  righteousness  standeth  for  ever. 

4  T  There  ariseth  in  darkness  for  the  upright  a  light; 
n  Gracious  and  compassionate  and  righteous. 

5  t3  Blessed  is  he  who  giveth  and  lendeth, 

'   In  the  judgment  doth  he  maintain  his  cause. 

6  3    He  tottereth  not  for  ever, 

^  The  righteous  is  had  in  everlasting  remembrance. 

7  D    J>y  evil  tidings  he  is  not  affrighted, 

a    His  heart  is  stedfast,  confident  in  Jahve. 


200  PSALM  CXII. 

y  D  His  lieart  is  firm,  it  doth  not  fear; 

y  Until  he  see  his  desire  upon  his  adversaries. 

9  D  Freely  doth  he  give  to  the  needy, 

X  His  righteousness  standeth  for  ever. 

p  Plis  horn  grovveth  up  into  honour, 

10  "1  The  wicked  seeth  it,  and  is  vexed, 

'^  Gnashing  his  teeth  and  melting  away — 

n  The  desire  of  the  wicked  shall  perish. 

The  alphabetical  Hallelujah  Ps.  cxi.,  which  celebrated  the 
government  of  God,  is  now  followed  by  another  coinciding 
with  it  in  structure  (CTYXOC  KB,  i.e.  22  aTixoh  as  the 
Coptic  version  correctly  counts),  which  celebrates  the  men 
whose  conduct  is  ordered  after  the  divine  pattern. 

As  in  the  preceding  Psalm,  ver.  1  here  also  sets  forth  the 
theme  of  that  which  follows.  What  is  there  said  in  ver.  3 
concerning  the  righteousness  of  God,  ver.  3  here  says  of  the 
rio-hteousness  of  him  who  fears  God :  this  also  standeth  fast 
for  ever,  it  is  indeed  the  copy  of  the  divine,  it  is  the  work  and 
gift  of  God  (xxiv.  5),  inasmuch  as  God's  salutary  action  and 
behaviour,  laid  hold  of  in  faith,  works  a  like  form  of  action 
and  behaviour  to  it  in  man,  which,  as  ver.  9  says,  is,  according 
to  its  nature,  love.  The  promise  in  ver.  4  sounds  like  Isa.  Ix.  2. 
HencTstenberg  renders  :  "There  ariseth  in  the  darkness  ligiit  to 
the  upright  who  is  gracious  and  compassionate  and  just."  But 
this  is  impossible  as  a  matter  of  style.  The  three  adjectives 
(as  in  cxi.  4,  pointing  back  to  Ex.  xxxiv.  6,  cf.  cxlv.  8,  cxvi.  5) 
are  a  mention  of  God  according  to  His  attributes,  r^n  and 
Dim_  never  take  the  article  in  Biblical  Hebrew,  and  p''^V  follows 
their  example  here  (cf.  on  the  contrary,  Ex.  ix.  27).  God 
Himself  is  the  light  which  arises  in  darkness  for  those  who  are 
sincere  in  their  dealings  with  Plim  ;  He  is  the  Sun  of  right- 
eousness with  wings  of  rays  dispensing  "  grace"  and  "  tender 
mercies,"  Mai.  iii.  20  [iv.  2].  The  fact  that  He  arises  for 
those  who  are  compassionate  as  He  is  compassionate,  is  evident 
from  ver.  5.  3"it:  being,  as  in  Isa.  iii.  10,  Jer.  xliv.  17,  in- 
tended of  well-being,  prosperity,  t^^>*  3io  is  here  equivalent  to 
U^'N  n^'X,  which  is  rendered  X"i3J^  n^3^D  in  Targumic  phrase. 
\}\n  signifies,  as  in  xxxvii.  26,  21,  one  who  charitably  dispenses 


PSAI.M  CXII.  201 

his  gifts  around.  Ver.  5b  is  not  an  extension  of  the  picture  of 
virtue,  but,  as  in  cxxvii.  5c,  a  promissory  prospect :  he  will  up- 
hold in  integrity  (DSU'pii,  Ixxii.  2,  Isa.  ix.  B  [7],  and  frequently), 
or  rather  (=t32w'r23)  in  the  cause  (cxliii.  2,  Prov.  xxiv.  23,  and 
frequently),  the  things  which  depend  upon  him,  or  with  which  lie 
has  to  do  ;  for  ^rf^^,  siistinere^  signifies  to  sustain,  i.e.  to  nourisli, 
to  sustain,  i.e.  endure,  and  also  to  support,  maintain,  i.e.  carry 
through.  This  is  explanatorily  confirmed  in  ver.  6:  he  stands, 
as  a  general  thing,  imperturbably  fast.  And  when  he  dies 
he  becomes  the  object  of  everlasting  remembrance,  his  name 
is  still  blessed  (Prov.  x.  7).  Because  he  has  a  cheerful  con- 
science, his  heart  too  is  not  disconcerted  by  any  evil  tidings 
{3ev.  xlix.  23) :  it  remains  |i3J,  erect,  straight  and  firm,  without 
suffering  itself  to  bend  or  warp ;  'n3  nt33j  full  of  confidence 
(passive,  "  in  the  sense  of  a  passive  state  after  a  completed 
action  of  the  person  himself,"  like  il3Tj  ciii.  14)  ;  '^'1^9,  stayed 
in  itself  and  established.  The  last  two  designations  are  taken 
from  Isa.  xxvi.  3,  where  it  is  the  church  of  the  last  times  that 
is  spoken  of.  Ps.  xci.  8  gives  us  information  with  reference 
to  the  meaning  of  VnV3  nsn  ;  ny,  as  in  xciv.  13,  of  the  inevitable 
goal,  on  this  side  of  which  he  remains  undismayed.  2  Cor. 
ix.  9,  where  Paul  makes  use  of  ver.  9  of  the  Psalm  before  us 
as  an  encouragement  to  Christian  beneficence,  shows  how  little 
the  assertion  "  his  righteousness  standeth  for  ever"  is  opposed 
to  the  New  Testament  consciousness,  "li^  of  giving  away 
liberally  and  in  manifold  ways,  as  in  Prov.  xi.  24.  Dn,  ver. 
9c,  stands  in  opposition  to  tiie  egoistical  Dnn  in  Ixxv.  5  as  a 
vegetative  sprouting  up  (cxxxii.  17).  The  evil-doer  must  see 
this  and,  confounded,  vex  himself  over  it ;  he  gnashes  his  teeth 
with  the  rage  of  envy  and  chagrin,  and  melts  away,  i.e.  loses 
consistency,  becomes  unhinged,  dies  off  (D03,  Zd  pra>t.  Niph. 
as  in  Ex.  xvi.  21,  pausal  form  of  DO:  =  DDJ).  How  often  has 
he  desired  the  ruin  of  him  whom  he  must  now  see  in  honour  ! 
The  tables  are  turned;  this  and  his  ungodly  desire  in  general 
come  to  nought,  inasmuch  as  the  opposite  is  realized.  On 
nXTj  with  its  self-evident  object,  cf.  Mic.  vii.  10.  Concerning 
the  pausal  form  Dy31,  vid.  xciii.  1.  Hupfeld  wishes  to  read 
ri'.pri  after  ix.  19,  Prov.  x.  28.  In  defence  of  the  traditional 
reading,  Ilitzig  rightly  points  to  Prov.  x.  24  together  with 
vor.  2Q. 


202  PSALM  CXIII. 

PSALM    CXIII. 

HALLELUJAH  TO  HIM  WHO  RAISETH  OUT  OF  LOW  ESTATE. 

Hallelujah. 

1  PRAISE,  ye  servants  of  Jahve, 
Praise  the  Name  of  Jahve  ! 

2  Blessed  be  the  Name  of  Jahve 

From  this  time  forth  and  for  evermore  ! 

3  From  the  rising  of  the  sun  unto  its  going  down 
Is  the  Name  of  Jahve  to  be  praised. 

4  Exalted  above  all  peoples  is  Jahve, 
Above  the  heavens  His  glory. 

5  Who  is  like  Jahve  our  God, 

He  who  sitteth  enthroned  on  high, 

6  He  who  looketh  far  below 
In  heaven  and  upon  earth  ? 

7  Who  raiseth  up  the  lowly  out  of  the  dust, 
Who  lifteth  the  poor  from  the  heap  of  ashes, 

8  To  set  him  with  nobles, 
With  the  nobles  of  His  people. 

9  Who  maketh  the  barren  woman  to  keep  house, 
As  a  joyful  mother  of  the  sons. 

Hallelujah. 

With  this  Psalm  begins  the  Hallel,  which  is  recited  at  the 
three  great  feasts,  at  the  feast  of  the  Dedication  (^CJuinncax) 
and  at  the  new  moons,  and  not  on  New  Year's  day  and  the  day 
of  Atonement,  because  a  cheerful  song  of  praise  does  not  har- 
monize with  the  mournful  solemnity  of  these  days.  And  they 
are  recited  only  in  fragments  during  the  last  days  of  the 
Passover,  for  "  my  creatures,  saitli  the  Holy  One,  blessed  be 
He,  were  drowned  in  the  sea,  and  ought  ye  to  break  out  into 
songs  of  rejoicing?"  In  the  family  celebration  of  the  Passover 
night  it  is  divided  into  two  parts,  the  one  half,  Ps.  cxiii.,  cxiv., 
being  sung  before  the  repast,  before  the  emptying  of  the 
Eecond  festal  cup,  and  the  other  half,  Ps.  cxv.-cxviii.,  after 


PSALM  CXIII.  203 

tlie  repast,  after  tlie  fillinrr  of  the  fourth  cup,  to  which  the 
vfiv^a-avTa  (Matt.  xxvi.  oO,  Mark  xiv.  26)  after  the  institution 
of  the  Lord's  Supper,  which  was  connected  with  tlie  fourth 
festal  cup,  may  refer.  Paulus  Burgensis  styles  Ps.  cxiii.-cxviii. 
A  lleluja  Judceorum  magnum.  This  designation  is  also  frequently 
found  elsewhere.  But  according  to  the  prevailing  custom,  Ps. 
cxiii.-cxviii.,  and  more  particularly  Ps.  cxv.-cxviii.,  are  called 
only  Hallel,  and  Ps.  cxxxvi.,  with  its  "  for  His  mercy  endureth 
for  ever"  repeated  twenty-six  times,  bears  the  name  of  ''  the 
Great  Ilaller  (^n^n  ^^n).* 

A  heaping  up,  without  example  elsewhere,  of  the  so-called 
Cldrek  compagiids  is  peculiar  to  Ps.  cxiii.  Gesenius  and  others 
call  the  connecting  vowels  i  and  o  (in  proper  names  also  u)  the 
remains  of  old  case  terminations  ;  with  the  former  the  Arabic 
genitive  termination  is  compared,  and  with  the  latter  the 
Arabic  nominative  termination.  But  in  opposition  to  this  it 
has  been  rightly  observed,  that  this  i  and  o  are  not  attached  to 
the  dependent  word  (the  genitive),  but  to  the  governing  word. 
According  to  the  more  probable  view  of  Ewald,  §  211,  i  and  o 
are  equivalent  connecting  vowels  which  mark  the  relation  of  the 
genitive  case,  and  are  to  be  explained  from  the  original  oneness 
of  the  Semitic  and  Indo-Germanic  languages. 

The  i  is  found  most  frequently  appended  to  the  first  member 
of  the  Stat,  constr.,  and  both  to  the  masc,  viz.  in  Deut,  xxxiii. 
16,  Zech.  xi.  17  (perhaps  twice,  vid.  Kohler  in  loc),  and  to  the 
femm.,  viz.  in  Gen.  xxxi.  39,  Ps.  ex.  4,  Isa.  i.  21.  Lev.  xxvi. 
42,  Ps.  cxvi.  1  hardly  belong  here.     Then  this  i  is  also  fre- 


*  Vi'l.  the  tractate  Sofrim,  xviii.  §  2.  Apart  from  the  new  moons,  a 
which  the  recitation  of  the  Hallel  kxt  iiox-'iv,  i.e.  Ps.  cxiii.-cxviii.,  is  only- 
according  to  custom  (jn:?o),  not  according  to  the  law,  the  Hallel  was 
recited  eighteen  times  a  year  during  the  continuance  of  the  Temple  (and 
in  Palestine  even  in  the  present  day),  viz.  once  at  the  Passover,  once  at 
Shabuoth,  eight  times  at  Succoth,  eight  times  at  Ciianucca  (tiie  feast  of 
the  Dedication)  ;  and  now  in  the  Exile  twenty-one  times,  because  the 
Passover  and  Succoth  have  received  two  feast-days  and  Shabuoth  one  as 
an  addition,  viz.  twice  at  the  Passover,  twice  at  Shabuoth,  nine  times  at 
Succoth.  Instead  of  Hullel  absolutely  we  also  find  the  appellation  "  thu 
Egyptian  Hallel"  (n:»t3n  S^n)  for  Ps.  cxiii.-cxviii.  The  ancient  ritual  only 
makes  a  distinction  between  this  (Egyptian)  Hallel  and  the  Great  Hallel, 
Ps.  cxxxvi.  (see  there). 


204  PSALM  CXIIl.  1-3. 

quently  found  when  the  second  member  of  the  stat.  constr.  has 
a  preposition,  and  this  preposition  is  consequently  in  process  of 
being  resolved  :  Gen.  xlix.  11,  Ex.  xv.  G,  Obad.  ver.  3  (Jer. 
xlix.  16),  Hos.  X.  11,  Lam.  i.  1,  Ps.  cxxiii.  1,  and  perhaps 
Cant.  i.  9.  Also  in  the  Chethib,  Jer.  xxii.  23,  li.  13,  Ezek. 
xxvii.  3.  Thirdly,  where  a  word  stands  between  the  two  notions 
that  belong  together  according  to  the  genitival  relation,  and 
the  sfat.  construct,  is  consequently  really  resolved  :  Ps.  ci.  5, 
Isa.  xxii.  16,  Mic.  vii.  14.  It  is  the  same  i  which  is  found  in  a 
great  many  proper  names,  both  Israelitish,  e.g.  Gamaliel  (benefit 
of  God),  and  Phoenician,  e.g.  Melchizedek,  Hannihaal  (the 
favour  of  Baal),  and  is  also  added  to  many  Hebrew  preposi- 
tions, like  ''iji^?  (where  the  i  however  can,  according  to  the 
context,  also  be  a  pronominal  suffix),  "'HplT  (where  i  can  like- 
wise be  a  suffix),  ''ill?  (poetical).  In  ''D2N*,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  i  is  always  a  suffix.  The  tone  of  the  i  only  retreats  in 
accordance  with  rhythmical  rule  {vid.  ex.  4),  otherwise  i  is 
always  accented.  Ver.  8  shows  how  our  Ps.  cxiii.  in  parti- 
cular delights  in  this  ancient  t,  where  it  is  even  affixed  to  the 
infinitive  as  an  ornament,  a  thing  which  occurs  nowhere  else, 
so  that  ''^"'B^inb  excites  the  suspicion  of  being  written  in  error  for 

Among  those  things  which  make  God  worthy  to  be  praised 
the  Psalm  gives  pi'ominence  to  the  condescension  of  the  infi- 
nitely exalted  One  towards  the  lowly  one.  It  is  the  lowliness  of 
God  lowering  itself  for  the  exaltation  of  the  lowly  which  per- 
forms its  utmost  in  the  work  of  redemption.  Thus  it  becomes 
explicable  that  Mary  in  her  Magnificat  breaks  forth  into  the 
same  strain  with  the  song  of  Hannah  (1  Sam.  ch.  ii.)  and  this 
Psalm. 

Vers.  1-3.  The  call,  not  limited  by  any  addition  as  in 
cxxxiv.  1,  or  even,  after  the  manner  of  ciii.  20  sq.,  extended 
over  the  earth,  is  given  to  the  whole  of  the  true  Israel  that  cor- 
responds to  its  election  by  grace  and  is  faithful  to  its  mission  ; 
and  its  designation  by  "servants  of  Jahve"  (Ixix.  37,  of. 
xxxiv.  23),  or  even  "  servant  of  Jahve"  (cxxxvi.  22),  has 
come  into  vogue  more  especially  through  the  second  part  of 
Isaiah.  This  Israel  is  called  upon  to  praise  Jahve ;  for  the 
praise  and  celebration  of  His  Name,  i.e.  of  His  nature,  which 


PSALM  CXIII.  4-9.  20J 

is  discrlosed  by  means  of  its  manifestation,  is  a  principal  ele- 
ment, yea,  the  proper  grounJ  and  aim,  of  the  service,  and  shall 
finally  become  that  wliich  fills  all  time  and  all  space,  ''p'?'^, 
laudatum  {est),  is  equivalent  to  alverop,  laudahile  (LXX.,  Vul- 
gate), and  this  does  not  differ  greatly  from  laudetur.  The  pre- 
dictive interpretation  laudahitur  is  opposed  to  the  context  (cf. 
moreover  Kohler  on  ^lal.  i.  11). 

Vers.  4-6.  This  praiseworthiness  is  now  confirmed.  The 
opening  reminds  one  of  xcix.  2.  Paseh  stands  between  D'lJ 
and  nin^  in  order  to  keep  them  apart.  Tlie  totality  of  the 
nations  is  great,  but  Jahve  is  raised  above  it ;  the  heavens 
are  glorious,  but  Jahve's  glory  is  exalted  above  them.  It  is 
not  to  be  explained  according  to  cxlviii.  13  ;  but  according  to 
Ivii.  6,  12,  D")  belongs  to  ver.  4i  too  as  predicate.  He  is  the 
incomparable  One  who  has  set  up  His  throne  in  the  height, 
but  at  the  same  time  directs  His  gaze  deep  downwards  (ex- 
pression according  to  Ges.  §  142,  rem.  1)  in  the  heavens  and 
upon  earth,  i.e.  nothing  in  all  the  realm  of  the  creatures  that 
are  beneath  Him  escapes  His  sight,  and  nothing  is  so  low  that 
it  remains  unnoticed  by  Him  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  just  that 
which  is  lowly,  as  the  following  strophe  presents  to  us  in  a 
series  of  portraits  so  to  speak,  that  is  the  special  object  of  His 
regard.  The  structure  of  vers.  5,  6  militates  against  the  con- 
struction of  "  in  the  heavens  and  upon  the  earth "  with  the 
interrogatory  "  who  is  like  unto  Jahve  our  God?"  after  Deut. 
iii.  24. 

Vers.  7-9.  The  thoughts  of  vers,  la  and  8a  are  trans- 
planted from  the  song  of  Hannah.  "IDV,  according  to  1  Kings 
xvi.  2,  cf.  xiv.  7,  is  an  emblem  of  lowly  estate  (Hitzig),  and 
nbC'X  (from  nD'^")  an  emblem  of  the  deepest  poverty  and  de- 
sertion ;  for  in  Syria  and  Palestine  the  man  who  is  siiut  out 
from  society  lies  upon  the  mezbele  (the  dunghill  or  heap  of 
ashes),  by  day  calling  upon  the  passers-by  for  alms,  and  by 
night  hiding  himself  in  the  ashes  that  have  been  warmed  by 
the  sun  (Job,  ii.  152).  The  movement  of  the  thoughts  in  ver.  b, 
as  in  ver.  1,  follows  the  model  of  the  epizeuxis.  Together  with 
the  song  of  Hannah  the  poet  has  before  his  eye  Hannahs 
exaltation  out  of  sorrow  and  reproach.  He  does  not,  however, 
repeat  the  words  of  her  song  which  have  reference  to  this 
(1  Sam.  ii.  5),  but  clothes  his  generalization  of  her  experience 


206  PSALM  CXIV. 

in  his  own  language.  If  he  intended  that  nnpj?  should  be  un- 
derstood out  of  the  genitival  relation  after  the  form  riTiDy^  why- 
did  he  not  write  n"ji^y_  n^nn  ^ym^  ?  n;'|in  would  then  be  equiva- 
lent to  nn^3,  Ixviii.  7.  ri^an  nnpy  is  the  expression  for  a  woman 
who  is  a  wife,  and  therefore  housewife,  ri)2n  (npya)  ni3,  but  yet 
not  a  mother.  Such  an  one  has  no  settled  position  in  the  house 
of  the  husband,  the  firm  bond  is  wanting  in  her  relationship 
to  her  husband.  If  God  gives  her  cliildren.  He  tliereby  makes 
her  then  thoroughly  at  home  and  rooted-in  in  her  position.  In 
the  predicate  notion  nnoK'  CJan  nx  the  definiteness  attaches  to 
the  second  member  of  the  string  of  words,  as  in  Gen.  xlviii.  ID, 
2  Sam.  xii.  30  (cf.  the  reverse  instance  in  Jer.  xxiii.  26,  ^^23 
""P.^nj  those  prophesying  that  which  is  false),  therefore :  a  mother 
of  the  children.  The  poet  brings  the  matter  so  vividly  before 
him,  that  he  points  as  it  were  with  his  finger  to  the  children 
with  which  God  blesses  her. 


PSALM    CXIV. 

COMMOTION  OF  NATURE  BEFORE  GOD  THE  REDEEMER  OUT 
OF  EGYPT. 

1  WHEN  Israel  went  forth  out  of  Egypt, 

The  house  of  Jacob  out  of  a  people  of  strange  language, 

2  Then  Judah  became  His  sanctuary, 
Israel  His  dominion. 

3  The  sea  saw  it,  and  fled, 
Jordan  turned  backwards, 

4  The  mountains  skipped  like  rams. 
The  hills  like  young  sheep. 

5  What  aileth  thee,  O  sea,  that  thou  flocst? 
O  Jordan,  that  thou  turnest  backwards  ? 

()  Ye  mountains,  that  ye  skip  like  rams  ? 
Ye  hills,  like  young  sheep  ? — 

7  Before  the  face  of  the  Lord  tremble,  0  earth, 
Before  the  face  of  the  God  of  Jacob, 


rSALM  CXIV.  1-i.  207 

8  AYho  clinngeth  the  rock  into  a  pool  of  water, 
The  flinty  rock  into  water-springs  ! 

To  the  side  of  the  general  Hallelujah  Ps.  cxiii.  comes  an 
historical  one,  which  is  likewise  adorned  in  ver.  8  with  the 
Cliirek  compaginis,  and  still  further  with  Cholem  compaginis, 
and  js  the  festiiaL_Psalni  of  the_j£ittLtl4~£a^over^ day  in  the 
Jewish  ritual.  The  deeds  of  God  at  the  time  of  the  Exodus 
are  here  brought  together  to  form  a  picture  in  miniature  which 
is  as  majestic  as  it  is  charming.  There  are  four  tetrastichs^ 
which  pass  by  with  the  swiftness  of  a  bird  as  it  were  with  four 
flappings  of  its  wings.  The  church  sings  this  Psalm  in  a  tonus 
peregvinus  distinct  from  the  eight  Psalm-tones. 

Vers.  1-4.  Egypt  is  called  lyS  DV  (from  TV^',  cogn.  JJ?^, 
ny?),  because  the  people  spoke  a  language  unintelligible  to 
Israel  (Ixxxi.  6),  and  as  it  were  a  stammering  language.  The 
LXX.,  and  just  so  the  Targum,  renders  e«  \aov  (3ap/3upov 
(from  the  Sanscrit  barharas,  just  as  onomatopoetic  as  balbnn, 
cf.  Fleischer  in  Levy's  Chaldaisches  Worterbuch,  i.  420).  The 
redeemed  nation  is  called  Tudah,  inasmuch  as  God  made  it  His 
sanctuary  {pi?)  by  setting  up  His  sanctuary  (tJ^pO,  Ex.  xv. 
17)  in  the  midst  of  it,  for  Jerusalem  (el-hids)  was  Benjamitish 
Judaian,  and  from  the  time  of  David  was  accounted  directly 
as  Judsean.  In  so  far,  however,  as  He  made  this  people  His 
kingdom  (vniPC'DQ,  an  amplificative  plural  with  Mem  pathacha- 
tum),  by  placing  Himself  in  the  relation  of  King  (Deut.  xxxiii. 
5)  to  the  people  of  possession  which  by  a  revealed  law  He 
established  characteristically  as  His  own,  it  is  called  Israel. 
The  predicate  takes  the  form  ^"^'!ll,  for  peoples  together  with 
country  and  city  are  represented  as  feminine  (cf.  Jer.  viii.  5). 
The  foundation  of  that  new  beginning  in  connection  with  the 
history  of  redemption  was  laid  amidst  majestic  wonders,  inas- 
much as  nature  was  brought  into  service,  co-operating  and 
sympathizing  in  the  work  (cf.  Ixxvii.  15  sqq.).  The  dividing 
of  the  sea  opens,  and  the  dividing  of  the  Jordan  closes,  the 
journey  through  the  desert  to  Canaan.  The  sea  stood  aside, 
Jordan  halted  and  was  dammed  up  on  the  north  in  order  tiiat 
the  redeemed  people  might  pass  through.  And  in  the  middle, 
between  these  great  wonders  of  the  exodus  from  Eijvpt  and 


208  PSAUI  CXIV.  5-8. 

the  entrance  into  Canaan,  arises  the  not  less  mighty  wonder  of 
the  giving  of  the  Law  :  the  skipping  of  the  mountains  hke 
rams,  of  the  hills  like  li^i'*"^^?,  i.e.  lambs  (Wisd.  xix.  9),  depicts 
the  quaking  of  Sinai  and  its  environs  (Ex.  xix.  1 8,  of.  supra 
Ixviii.  9,  and  on  the  figure  xxix.  6). 

Vers.  5-8.  The  poet,  when  he  asks,  "What  aileth  thee, 
0  sea,  that  thou  fleest  .  .  .  ?"  lives  and  moves  in  this  olden  time 
as  a  cotemporary,  or  the  present  and  the  olden  time  as  it  were 
flow  together  to  his  mind ;  hence  the  answer  he  himself  gives 
to  the  question  propounded  takes  the  form  of  a  triumphant 
mandate.  The  Lord,  the  God  of  Jacob,  thus  mighty  in  won- 
drous works,  it  is  before  whom  the  earth  must  tremble.  IHi^ 
does  not  take  the  article  because  it  finds  its  completion  in  the 
following  2py^_  ('"^i?5<) ;  it  is  the  same  epizeuxis  as  in  cxiii.  8, 
xciv.  3,  xcvi.  7,  13.  '''^^'^^^  has  the  constructive  i  out  of  the 
genitival  relation ;  and  in  i^'V^f  in  this  relation  we  have  the 
constructive  6,  which  as  a  rule  occurs  only  in  the  genitival 
combination,  with  the  exception  of  this  passage  and  "iV^  133, 
Num.  xxiv.  3,  15  (not,  however,  in  Prov.  xiii.  4,  "his,  the 
sluggard's,  soul"),  found  only  in  the  name  for  wild  animals 
psnn^rij  which  occurs  frequently,  and  first  of  all  in  Gen.  i.  24. 
The  expression  calls  to  mind  cvii.  35.  "i^j^'7  is  taken  from  Ex. 
xvii.  6 ;  and  ^'"o^r^  (LXX.  rr^v  uKporofMov,  that  which  is  rugged, 
abrupt)  *  stands,  according  to  Deut.  viii.  15,  poetically  for  V7D^ 
Num.  XX.  11,  for  it  is  these  two  histories  of  the  giving  of  water 


*  One  usually  compares  (m^kA.^,  cJialnahus  [the  Karaite  lexico- 
grapher Abraham  ben  David  writes  DUD^^n]  ;  but  this  obsolete  word,  as  a 
compound  from  -uj.-i.,  to  be  black -grey,  and  lujju^,  to  be  hard,  may 
originally  signify  a  hard  black-grey  stone,  whereas  t^^D^n  looks  like  a 
mingling  of  the  verbal  stems  ^jM.^to-,  to  be  hard,  and  ^jjJj*-,  to  be  black- 
brown  (as  t}»/«l5>-,  a  detached  block  of  rock,  is  of  the  verbal  stems  j>]c>-, 
to  be  hard,  and  Xis^,  to  be  massive).     In  Hauran  tlic  doors  of  the  houses 

and  the  window-shutters  are  called  LA.s>.  when  they  consist  of  a  massive 
slab  of  dolerite,  probably  from  their  blackish  hue.  Perhaps  K'VO^n  is  the 
ancient  name  for  basalt ;  and  in  connection  with  the  hardness  of  this  form 
of  rock,  which  resembles  a  mass  of  cast  metal,  the  breaking  through  of 
springs  is  a  great  miracle. — Wetzstein.  For  other  views  vid.  on  Isa.  xlix. 
21,  1.  7. 


PSALM  cxv.  209 

to  which  tlie  poet  points  back.  But  wliy  to  these  in  particular? 
The  causing  of  water  to  gush  forth  out  of  the  flinty  rock  is  a 
practical  proof  of  unlimited  omnipotence  and  of  the  grace 
which  converts  deatli  into  life.  Let  the  earth  then  tremble 
before  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Jacob.  It  has  already  trembled 
before  Him,  and  before  Him  let  it  tremble.  For  that  which 
He  has  been  He  still  ever  is ;  and  as  He  came  once,  He  will 
come  again. 

PSALM    CXV. 

CALL  TO  THE  GOD  OF  ISRAEL,  THE  LIVING  GOD,  TO 
RESCUE  THE  HONOUR  OF  HIS  NAME. 


But  unto  Thy  Name  give  glory, 

Because  of  Thy  loving-kindness,  because  of  Thy  truth. 

2  Wherefore  shall  the  heathen  say : 
"  Where  is  now  their  God  ?  " 

3  And  our  God  is  in  the  heavens. 
Whatsoever  He  willeth  He  carrieth  out. 

4  Their  gods,  however,  are  silver  and  gold, 
The  work  of  men's  hands. 

5  They  have  a  mouth  and  speak  not. 
They  have  eyes  and  see  not, 

6  They  have  ears  and  hear  not, 
They  have  a  nose  and  smell  not. 

7  Their  hands,  with  which  they  handle  not, 
Their  feet,  with  which  they  walk  not, 
They  speak  not  with  their  throat. 

8  Like  unto  them  do  those  who  make  them  become, 
Every  one  who  trusteth  in  them. 


Their  help  and  their  shield  is  He. 

10  O  house  of  Aaron,  trust  ye  in  Jahve, 
Their  help  and  their  shield  is  He. 

11  Yc  who  fear  Jahve,  trust  in  Jahve, 
Their  help  and  their  shield  is  He. 

VOL.  III. 


210  PSALM  CXV.  1,  ?. 

12  Jahve  hath  been  mindful  of  us,  He  will  bless— 
He  will  bless  the  house  of  Israel, 

He  will  bless  the  house  of  Aaron, 

13  He  will  bless  those  who  fear  Jahve, 
The  small  together  with  the  great. 

14  Jahve  will  add  to  you, 
To  you  and  your  children, 

15  Blessed  be  ye  of  Jahve, 

The  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth. 

16  The  heavens  are  heavens  for  Jahve, 

And  the  earth  hath  He  given  to  the  children  of  mea. 

17  The  dead  praise  not  Jah, 

Nor  all  those  who  go  down  into  the  silence  of  death ; 

18  We,  however,  we  will  bless  Jah 
From  henceforth  and  for  evermore, 

Hallelujah. 

This  Psalm,  which  has  scarcely  anything  in  common  with 
the  preceding  Psalm  except  that  the  expression  "  house  of 
Jacob,"  cxiv.  1,  is  here  broken  up  into  its  several  members  in 
vers.  12  sq.,  is  found  joined  with  it,  making  one  Psalm,  in  the 
LXX.,  Syriac,  Arabic,  and  ^thiopic  versions,  just  as  on  the 
other  hand  Ps.  cxvi.  is  split  up  into  two.  This  arbitrary 
arrangement  condemns  itself.  Nevertheless  Kimchi  favours 
it,  and  it  has  found  admission  into  not  a  few  Hebrew  manu- 
scripts. 

It  is  a  prayer  of  Israel  for  God's  aid,  probably  in  the  pre- 
sence of  an  expedition  against  heathen  enemies.  The  two 
middle  strophes  of  the  four  are  of  the  same  compass.  Ewald's 
conjecture,  that  whilst  the  Psalm  was  being  sung  the  sacrifice 
was  proceeded  with,  and  that  in  ver.  12  the  voice  of  a  priest 
proclaims  the  gracious  acceptance  of  the  sacrifice,  is  pleasing. 
But  the  change  of  voices  begins  even  with  ver.  9,  as  Olshausen 
also  supposes. 

Vers.  1,  2.  It  has  to  do  not  so  much  with  the  honour  of 
Israel,  which  is  not  worthy  of  the  honour  (Ezek.  xxxvi.  22  sq.) 
and  has  to  recognise  in  its  reproach  a  well-merited  chastise- 
ment,  as   with    the    honour  of    Him   who   cannot    suffer    the 


rSAI.M  CXV.  3-8.  211 

reproaching  of  Ills  holy  name  to  continue  long.  He  willeth 
that  His  name  should  be  sanctified.  In  the  consciousness  of 
his  oneness  with  this  will,  the  poet  bases  his  petition,  in  so  far 
as  it  is  at  the  same  time  a  petition  on  behalf  of  Israel,  upon 
God's  %a/)i9  and  aXi'jdeia  as  upon  two  columns.  The  second 
/*y,  according  to  an  express  note  of  the  Masora,  has  no  Waw 
before  it,  although  the  LXX.  and  Targum  insert  one.  Tlie 
thought  in  ver.  2  is  moulded  after  Ixxix.  10,  or  after  Joel  ii. 
17,  cf.  Ps.  xlii.  4,  Mic.  vii.  10.  ^<^"!^'!!?  is  the  same  style  as 
N3"n"ii3  in  cxvi.  18,  cf.  in  the  older  language  ^^'^^,  ^r°^j  ^n<^l 
the  like. 

Vers.  3-8.  Tiie  poet,  with  "  And  our  God,"  in  the  nan>e 
of  Israel  opposes  the  scornful  question  of  the  heathen  by  the 
believingly  joyous  confession  of  the  exaltation  of  Jahve  above 
the  false  gods.  Israel's  God  is  in  the  heavens,  and  is  tlierefore 
supramundane  in  nature  and  life,  and  the  absolutely  unlimited 
One,  who  is  able  to  do  all  things  with  a  freedom  that  is  con- 
ditioned only  by  Himself :  quod  vult,  valet  (ver.  36  =  cxxxv.  6, 
Wisd.  xii.  18,  and  frequently).  The  carved  gods  (SVy,  from 
3Vy,  cogn.  3Vn,  3Vi5)  of  the  heathen,  on  the  contrary,  are  dead 
images,  which  are  devoid  of  all  life,  even  of  the  sensuous  life 
the  outward  organs  of  which  are  imaged  upon  them.  It  cannot 
be  proved  with  Eccles.  v.  16  that  Qi^^T.  and  ^n^^JT  are  equivalent 
to  nr\b  Dn%  n''^J"i.  They  are  either  subjects  which  tlie  Waw 
apodosis  (cf.  Gen.  xxii.  24,  Prov.  xxiii.  24,  Hab.  ii.  5)  renders 
prominent,  or  casus  ahsoluti  (Ges.  §  145,  2),  since  both  verbs 
have  the  idols  themselves  as  their  subjects  less  on  account  of 
their  gender  (T  and  hy\  are  feminine,  but  the  Hebrew  usage  of 
genders  is  very  free  and  not  carried  out  uniformly)  as  in  respect 
of  ver.  7c :  with  reference  to  their  hands,  etc.  IV^'p^  is  tlie 
energetic  future  form,  which  goes  over  from  t^^l'n  into  w'^0,  for 
Vu'D^.  It  is  said  once  again  in  ver.  Ic  that  speech  is  wanting  to 
them  ;  for  the  other  negations  only  deny  life  to  them,  this  at  the 
same  time  denies  all  personality.  The  author  might  know  from 
his  own  experience  how  little  was  the  distinction  made  by  the 
heathen  worship  between  the  symbol  and  the  thing  symbolized. 
Accordingly  the  worship  of  idols  seems  to  him,  as  to  the  later 
prophets,  to  be  the  extreme  of  self-stupefaction  and  of  the  de- 
struction of  human  consciousness ;  and  the  final  destiny  of  the 
worshippers  of  false  gods,  as  he  says  in  ver.  8,  i.s,  that  they 


212  PSALM  CXV.  9-18. 

become  like  to  their  idols,  that  is  to  say,  being  deprived  of  their 
consciousness,  life,  and  existence,  they  come  to  notliing,  like 
those  their  nothingnesses  (Isa.  xliv.  9).  This  whole  section  of 
the  Psalm  is  repeated  in  Ps.  cxxxv.  (vers.  6,  15-18). 

Vers.  9-14.  After  this  confession  of  Israel  there  now 
arises  a  voice  that  addresses  itself  to  Israel.  The  threefold 
division  into  Israel,  the  house  of  Aaron,  and  those  who  fear 
Jahve  is  the  same  as  in  cxviii.  2-4.  In  Ps.  cxxxv.  the  *'  house 
of  Levi"  is  further  added  to  the  house  of  Aaron.  Those  who 
fear  Jahve,  who  also  stand  in  the  last  passage,  ai'e  probably  the 
proselytes  (in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ae^ofievoi  tov  Qeov,  or 
merely  a-e^o/xevoi*);  at  any  rate  these  are  included  even  if 
Israel  in  ver.  9  is  meant  to  signify  the  laity,  for  the  notion  of 
"  those  who  fear  Jahve"  extends  beyond  Israel.  The  fact  that 
the  threefold  refrain  of  the  summons  does  not  run,  as  in  xxxiii. 
20,  our  help  and  shield  is  He,  is  to  be  explained  from  its  being 
an  antiphonal  song.  In  so  far,  however,  as  the  Psalm  suppli- 
cates God's  protection  and  help  in  a  campaign  the  declaration 
of  confident  hope,  their  help  and  shield  is  He,  may,  with  Hitzig, 
be  referred  to  the  army  that  is  gone  or  is  going  forth.  It  is 
the  same  voice  which  bids  Israel  to  be  of  good  courage  and 
announces  to  the  people  the  well-pleased  acceptance  of  the 
sacrifice  with  the  words  "Jahve  hath  been  mindful  of  us" 
(^jnar  'n,  cf.  ''^VX  i^J^V,  xx.  7),  perhaps  simultaneously  with  the 
presentation  of  the  memorial  portion  (maix)  of  the  meat-offer- 
ing (xxxviii.  1).  The  '^■?.y  placed  at  the  head  is  particularized 
threefold,  corresponding  to  the  threefold  summons.  The 
special  promise  of  blessing  which  is  added  in  ver.  14  is  an  echo 
of  Deut.  i.  11,  as  in  2  Sam.  xxiv.  3.  The  contracted  future 
^D^  we  take  in  a  consolatory  sense ;  for  as  an  optative  it  would 
be  too  isolated  here.  In  spite  of  all  oppression  on  the  part  of 
the  heathen,  God  will  make  His  people  ever  more  numerous, 
more  capable  of  offering  resistance,  and  more  awe-inspiring. 

Vers.  15-18.  The  voice  of  consolation  is  continued  in  ver. 
15,  but  it  becomes  the  voice  of  hope  by  being  blended  with 


*  The  appellation  (po/2riviievoi  docs  not  however  occur,  if  we  rlo  not  bring 
Acts  X.  2  in  here ;  but  in  Latin  inscriptions  in  Orclli-Hentzen  No.  2523,  and 
in  Auer  in  the  Zeitschri/t  ftir  kathoUsche  Theolorjie  1852,  S.  80,  the  proselyte^ 
(i-eU(/ioiiis  Juilaicx)  is  called  metuciis. 


PSALM  CXVI.  213 

tlie  newly  strengthened  believing  tone  of  the  congregation. 
Jahve  is  here  called  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth  because 
the  worth  and  magnitude  of  His  blessing  are  measured  thereby. 
He  has  reserved  the  heavens  to  Himself,  but  given  the  earth  to 
men.  This  separation  of  heaven  and  earth  is  a  fundamental  cha- 
racteristic of  the  post-diluvian  history.  The  throne  of  God  is 
in  the  heavens,  and  the  promise,  which  is  given  to  the  patriarchs 
on  behalf  of  all  mankind,  does  not  refer  to  heaven,  but  to  the 
possession  of  the  earth  (xxxvii.  22).  The  promise  is  as  yet 
limited  to  this  present  world,  whereas  in  the  New  Testament 
this  limitation  is  removed  and  the  KXTjpovofila  embraces  heaven 
and  earth.  This  Old  Testament  limitedness  finds  further  ex- 
pression in  ver.  17,  where  nD^"n,  as  in  xciv.  17,  signifies  the 
silent  land  of  Hades.  The  Old  Testament  knows  nothing  of 
a  heavenly  ecclesia  that  praises  God  without  intermission,  con- 
sisting not  merely  of  angels,  but  also  of  the  spirits  of  all  men 
who  die  in  the  faith.  Nevertheless  there  are  not  wanting  hints 
that  point  upwards  which  were  even  better  understood  by  the 
post-exilic  than  by  the  pre-exilic  church.  The  New  Testament 
morn  began  to  dawn  even  upon  the  post-exilic  church.  We 
must  not  therefore  be  astonished  to  find  the  tone  of  vi.  6,  xxx. 
10,  Ixxxviii.  11-13,  struck  up  here,  although  the  echo  of  those 
earlier  Psalms  here  is  only  the  dark  foil  of  the  confession 
which  the  church  makes  in  ver.  18  concerning  its  immortality. 
The  church  of  Jahve  as  such  does  not  die.  That  it  also  does 
not  remain  among  the  dead,  in  whatever  degree  it  may  die  off 
in  its  existing  members,  the  psalmist  might  know  from  Isa. 
xxvi.  19,  XXV.  8.  But  the  close  of  the  Psalm  shows  that  such 
predictions  which  light  up  the  life  beyond  only  gradually  became 
elements  of  the  church's  consciousness,  and,  so  to  speak,  doguias. 


PSALM    CXVI. 

THANKSGIVIXG  SONG  OF  ONE  WHO  HAS  ESCAPED  FROM 
DEATH. 

1  I  LOVE,  for  Jahve  hearcth 

My  cry,  my  heartfelt  supplication. 

2  For  He  hath  inclined  His  ear  unto  me, 
Therefore  will  I  call  as  lonir  as  I  live. 


214  PSALM  CXVI. 

3  The  cords  of  death  compassed  me, 

And  the  straitnesses  of  Hades  came  upon  me, 
Distress  and  sot-row  did  I  experience. 

4  Then  upon  the  name  of  Jahve  did  I  call : 

0  Jahve,  deliver  my  soul. 

5  Gracious  is  Jahve  and  righteous, 
And  our  God  a  compassionate  One. 

6  A  Guardian  of  the  simple  is  Jahve  ; 

1  was  brought  low,  and  He  helped  me. 

7  Turn  in,  my  soul,  unto  thy  rest, 

For  Jahve  dealeth  bountifully  with  thee. 

8  Yea,  Thou  hast  delivered  my  soul  from  death, 
Mine  eyes  from  tears, 

My  feet  from  falling. 

9  I  will  walk  before  Jahve 
In  the  lands  of  the  living. 

10  I  believe  now,  when  I  must  speak : 

"  I,  I  am  afflicted  very  greatly." 
Ill  have  said  to  myself  in  my  despair  z 

"  All  men  are  liars." 

12  How  can  I  repay  Jahve 

.  All  His  benefits  toward  me? 

13  The  cup  of  salvation  will  I  raise, 
And  proclaim  the  Name  of  Jahve. 

14  My  vows  will  I  pay  unto  Jahve, 

I  will  do  it  in  the  presence  of  all  His  people. 

15  Precious  in  the  eyes  of  Jahve 
Is  the  death  of  His  saints. 

16  Yea,  O  Jahve,  for  I  am  Thy  servant, 

I  am  Thy  servant,  the  son  of  Thy  handmaid, 
Thou  hast  loosed  my  bonds. 

17  Unto  Thee  will  I  sacrifice  a  sacrifice  of  thanksgiving 
And  proclaim  the  Name  of  Jahve. 

18  My  vows  will  I  pay  unto  Jahve, 

I  will  do  it  in  the  presence  of  all  His  people, 

19  In  the  courts  of  Jahve's  house, 

In  the  midst  of  thee,  O  Jerusalem  ! 
Hallelujah. 


rsALM  cxvi.  1-4  215 

We  liave  here  another  anonymous  Psalm  closhig  with 
HoUelujali.  It  is  uot  a  supplicatory  song  with  a  hopeful 
prospect  before  it  like  Ps.  cxv.,  but  a  thanksgiving  song  with 
a  fresh  recollection  of  some  deadly  peril  that  has  just  been  got 
the  better  of ;  and  is  not,  like  Ps.  cxv.,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
church,  but  from  the  lips  of  an  individual  who  distinguishes 
himself  from  the  church.  It  is  an  individual  that  has  been 
delivered  who  here  praises  the  loving-kindness  he  has  expe- 
rienced in  the  language  of  the  tenderest  affection.  The  LXX. 
has  divided  this  deeply  fervent  song  into  two  parts,  cxvi,  1-9, 
10-19,  and  made  two  Hallelujah-Psalms  out  of  it;  whereas  it 
unites  Ps.  cxiv.  and  cxv.  into  one.  The  four  sections  or  strophes, 
the  beginnings  of  which  correspond  to  one  another  (vers.  1  and 
10,  5  and  15),  are  distinctly  separate.  The  words  ^5■^P^  ''"■  ^'^'^'^ 
are  repeated  three  times.  In  the  first  instance  they  are  retro- 
spective, but  then  swell  into  an  alw'ays  more  full-toned  vow  of 
thanksgiving.  The  late  period  of  its  composition  makes  itself 
known  not  only  in  the  strong  Aramaic  colouring  of  the  form 
cx  the  language,  which  adopts  all  kinds  of  embellishments,  but 
also  in  many  passages  borrowed  from  the  pre-exilic  Psalms. 
The  very  opening,  and  still  more  so  the  progress,  of  the  first 
strophe  reminds  one  of  Ps.  xviii.,  and  becomes  an  important 
hint  for  the  exposition  of  the  Psalm. 

Vers.  1-4.  Not  only  is  ^3  "'^^"v?  "  I  love  (like,  am  well 
pleased)  that,"  like  cvyaTrSi  on,  Thucydides  vi.  36,  contrary  to 
the  usage  of  the  language,  but  the  thought,  "  I  love  that  Jahve 
answereth  me,"  is  also  tame  and  flat,  and  inappropriate  to  the 
continuation  in  ver.  2.  Since  vers.  3,  4  have  come  from  xviii. 
5-17,  ■'^^riN  is  to  be  understood  according  to  ^P^l^^  in  xviii.  2, 
so  that  it  has  the  following  nin"'  as  its  object,  not  it  is  true 
grammatically,  but  logically.  The  poet  is  fond  of  this  pregnant 
use  of  the  verb  without  an  expressed  object,  cf.  ^^■]i?^?  in  ver.  2, 
and  ''^^^^13  in  ver.  10.  The  Pasek  after  Vty^\  is  inteauled  to 
guard  against  the  blending  of  the  final  a  with  the  initial  'a  of 
•"ilX  (cf.  Ixvi.  18,  V.  2,  in  Baer).  In  ver.  lb  the  accentuation 
prevents  the  rendering  vocem  orationis  niece  (Vulgate,  LXX.) 
by  means  of  Mugrash.  The  i  of  vip  will  therefore  no  more 
be  the  archaic  connecting  vowel  (Ew.  §  211,  i)  than  in  Lev. 
xxvi.  42  ;  the  poet  has  varied  the  genitival  construction  of  xxviii. 


216  PSALM  CXVI.  5-9. 

G  to  the  permutative.  The  second  '•3,  followhig  close  upon  the 
first,  makes  the  continuation  of  the  confirmation  retrospective. 
"  In  my  clays"  is,  as  in  Isa.  xxxix.  8,  Bar.  iv.  20,  cf.  ''fnn  in 
Ixiii.  5,  and  frequently,  equivalent  to  "  so  long  as  I  live."  We 
even  here  hear  the  tone  of  Ps.  xviii.  (ver.  2),  which  is  con- 
tinued in  vers.  3,  4  as  a  freely  borrowed  passage.  Instead  of 
the  "  bands"  (of  Hades)  there,  the  expression  here  is  ''l^O, 
angustice,  plural  of  1^^,  after  the  form  3DO  in  cxviii.  5,  Lam.  i. 
3  (Bottcher,  De  inferis,  §  423) ;  the  straitnesses  of  Hades  are 
deadly  perils  which  can  scarcely  be  escaped.  The  futures 
Nyo^^  and  ^1?^,  by  virtue  of  the  connection,  refer  to  the  cotera- 
poraneous  past.  n3N  (viz,  n^'p2  p^bl,  i.e.  in  a  suppliant  sense) 
is  written  with  Be  instead  of  Alepli  here  and  in  five  other 
instances,  as  the  Masora  observes.  It  has  its  fixed  Metheg  in 
the  first  syllable,  in  accordance  wiJh  which  it  is  to  be  pro- 
nounced anna  (like  ^"'^3,  hcdlini),  and  has  an  accented  ultima 
not  merely  on  account  of  the  following  nin""  =  '•Jix  (vid.  on  iii. 
8),  but  in  every  instance ;  for  even  where  (the  Metheg  having 
been  changed  into  a  conjunctive)  it  is  supplied  with  two  dif- 
ferent accents,  as  in  Gen.  1.  17,  Ex.  xxxii.  31,  the  second 
indicates  the  tone-syllable.*  Instead  now  of  repeating  "  and 
Jahve  answered  me,"  the  poet  indulges  in  a  laudatory  confession 
of  general  truths  which  have  been  brought  vividly  to  his  mind 
by  the  answering  of  his  prayer  that  he  has  experienced. 

Vers.  5-9.  With  "gracious"  and  "compassionate"  is 
here  associated,  as  in  cxii.  4,  the  term  "righteous,"  which 
comprehends  within  itself  everything  that  Jahve  asserts  con- 
cerning Himself  in  Ex.  xxxiv.  6  sq.  from  the  words  "  and 
abundant  in  goodness  and  truth  "  onwards.  His  love  is  turned 
especially  toward  the  simple  (LXX.  ra  v^jirca,  cf.  Matt.  xi.  25), 


*  Kimchi,  mistaking  the  vocation  of  the  Metheg,  regards  n3X  (N3X)  as 
Milel.  But  the  Palestinian  and  the  Babylonian  systems  of  pointing  coin- 
cide in  this,  that  the  beseeching  f^jx  (HJX)  is  Milra,  and  the  interrogatory 
njX  Milel  (^yith  only  two  exceptions  in  our  text,  which  is  fixed  according 
to  the  Palestinian  Masora,  viz.  cxxxix.  7,  Deut.  i.  28,  where  the  following 
word  begins  with  Alepli),  and  these  modes  of  accenting  accord  with  the 
origin  of  the  two  particles.  Pinskcr  (EiideUung,  S.  xiii.)  insinuates  against 
the  Palestinian  system,  that  in  the  cases  where  X3S  has  two  accents  the 
pointing  was  not  certain  of  the  correct  accentuation,  only  from  a  deficient 
knowledge  of  the  bearings  of  the  ca^. 


rsALJi  cxvi.  10-u.  217 

U'lio  stand  in  need  of  His  protection  and  give  tliemsolves  over 
to  it.  Q>^ri9,  as  in  Prov.  ix.  6,  is  a  mode  of  writing  blended 
out  of  Q'i^na  and  D"n3.  The  poet  also  has  experienced  this 
love  in  a  time  of  impotent  need.  ^nipT  is  accented  on  the 
ultima  here,  and  not  as  in  cxlii.  7  on  the  penult.  The  accentua- 
tion is  regulated  by  some  phonetic  or  rhythmical  law  that  has 
not  yet  been  made  clear  {yid.  on  Job  xix.  17).*  y^i'^l  is  a 
resolved  Hiphil  form,  the  use  of  which  became  common  in  the 
later  period  of  the  language,  but  is  not  alien  to  the  earlier 
period,  especially  in  poetry  (xlv.  18,  cf.  Ixxxi.  6,  1  Sam.  xvii. 
47,  Isa.  Hi.  5).  In  ver.  7  we  hear  the  form  of  soliloquy  which 
has  become  familiar  to  us  from  Ps.  xlii.,  xliii.,  ciii.  ''^VJ^  is 
Milra  here,  as  also  in  two  other  instances.  The  plural  D''TOO  ^ 
signifies  full,  complete  rest,  as  it  is  found  only  in  God ;  and  the 
suffix  in  the  address  to  the  soul  is  ajcld  for  ajich,  as  in  ciii.  3-5. 
The  perfect  ^p3  states  that  which  is  a  matter  of  actual  experi- 
ence, and  is  corroborated  in  ver.  8  in  retrospective  perfects. 
In  vers.  8,  9  we  hear  Ivi.  14  again  amplified ;  and  if  we  add 
xxvii.  13,  then  we  see  as  it  were  to  the  bottom  of  the  origin  of 
the  poet's  thoughts.  nyo"n"|0  belongs  still  more  decidedly  than 
y^K'in''  to  the  resolved  forms  which  multiply  in  the  later  period 
of  the  language.  In  ver.  9  the  poet  declares  the  result  of  the 
divine  deliverance.  The  Hithpa.  ^J]^^  denotes  a  free  and 
contented  going  to  and  fro;  and  instead  of  "the  land  of  the 
living,"  xxvii.  13,  the  expression  here  is  "the  lands  (niins),  Le. 
the  broad  land,  of  the  living."  There  he  walks  forth,  with 
nothing  to  hinder  his  feet  or  limit  his  view,  in  the  presence  of 
Jahve,  i.e.  having  his  Deliverer  from  death  ever  before  his 
eyes. 

Vers.  10-14.  Since  "^?■!^<  "'3  does  not  introduce  anything 
that  could  become  an  object  of  belief,  pONn  is  absolute  here : 
to  have  faith,  just  as  in  Job  xxiv.  22,  xxix.  24,  with  vh  it  signi- 
fies "  to  be  without  faith,  i.e.  to  despair."  But  how  does  it  now 
proceed?  The  LXX.  renders  iirlaTevaa,  Bto  iXaXijaaj  wiiich 
the  apostle  makes  use  of  in  2  Cor.  iv.  13,  without  our  being 


*  The  national  grammarians,  so  far  as  we  are  acquainted  with  them, 
furnish  no  explanation.  De  Balrais  believes  that  these  Milra  forms  ^jyo^, 
'ni^3,  and  the  like,  must  be  regarded  as  infinitives,  but  at  the  same  time 
coufirms  the  difference  of  views  existing  on  this  point 


218  PSAUr  CXVI.  10-14. 

therefore  obliged  with  Luther  to  render :  I  believe,  ilierefore  1 
speak;  ""3  does  not  signify  Bco.  Nevertheless  ''2  might  accord- 
ing to  the  sense  be  used  for  t?/,  if  it  had  to  be  rendered  with 
Hengstenberg :  "  I  believed,  therefore  I  spake,  but  I  was  very 
much  plagued."  But  this  assertion  does  not  suit  this  connection, 
and  has,  moreover,  no  support  in  the  syntax.  It  might  more 
readily  be  rendered  :  "  I  have  believed  that  I  should  yet  speak, 
i.e.  that  I  should  once  more  have  a  deliverance  of  God  to 
celebrate ;"  but  the  connection  of  the  parallel  members,  which 
is  then  only  lax,  is  opposed  to  this.  Hitzig's  attempted  inter- 
pretation, "I  trust,  when  {''2  as  in  Jer.  xii.  1)  I  should  speak: 
I  am  greatly  afflicted,"  i.e.  "  I  have  henceforth  confidence,  so 
that  I  shall  not  suffer  myself  to  be  drawn  away  into  the  ex- 
pression of  despondency,"  does  not  commend  itself,  since  ver. 
10b  is  a  complaining,  but  not  therefore  as  yet  a  desponding 
assertion  of  the  reality.  Assuming  that  "''!i^^!!?f?.  and  ''^Tr'^  in 
ver.  11a  stand  on  the  same  line  in  point  of  time,  it  seems  that 
it  must  be  interpreted  I  had  faith,  for  I  spake  (was  obliged  to 
speak)  ;  but  Ilia,  separated  from  '•nJDSn  by  ""a,  is  opposed  to  the 
colouring  relating  to  the  cotemporaneous  past.  Thus  ver.  10 
will  consequently  contain  the  issue  of  that  which  has  been 
hitherto  experienced:  /  have  gathered  up  faith  and  believe 
henceforth,  when  I  speak  (have  to  speak,  must  speak)  :  /  am 

deeplij  a£Ucted  (p^TJ  as  in  cxix.  67,  cf.  ^Jf^,  to  be  bowed  down, 

more  particularly  in  captivity,  whence  ijlju!^,  those  who  are 
bowxd  down).  On  the  other  hand,  ver.  11  is  manifestly  a  re- 
trospect. He  believes  now,  for  he  is  thoroughly  weaned  from 
putting  trust  in  men :  I  said  in  my  despair  (taken  from  xxxi. 
23),  the  result  of  my  deeply  bowed  down  condition:  All  men 
are  liars  {jra^  avOpoiiro^  yjrevcrTTj'i,  Rom.  iii.  4).  Forsaken  by 
all  the  men  from  whom  he  expected  succour  and  help,  he  ex- 
perienced the  truth  and  faithfulness  of  God.  Striding  away 
over  this  thought,  he  asks  in  ver.  12  how  he  is  to  give  thanks 
to  God  for  all  His  benefits,  no  is  an  adverbial  accusative  for 
n^3,  as  in  Gen.  xliv.  16,  and  the  substantive  'lOWj  in  itself  a 
later  formation,  has  besides  the  Chaldaic  plural  suffix  ohi,  which 
is  without  example  elsewhere  in  Hebrew.  The  poet  says  in 
ver.  13  how  alone  he  can  and  will  give  thanks  to  his  Deliverer, 
by  using  a  figure  taken  from  the  Passover  (Matt.  xxvi.  27), 


PSALM  CXVI.  lj-19.  210 

the  memorial  repast  in  celebration  of  the  retlemptlon  out  of 
Eiiypt.  The  cup  of  salvation  is  that  which  is  raised  aloft  and 
drunk  amidst  thanksgiving  for  the  manifold  and  abundant 
salvation  (niyiK';)  exj)erienced.  'n  D^ib  X^i?  is  the  usual  expres- 
sion for  a  solemn  and  public  calling  upon  and  proclamation  of 
the  Name  of  God.  In  ver.  14  this  thanksgiving  is  more 
minutely  designated  as  l"]?  ^OpB'j  which  the  poet  now  discharges. 
A.  common  and  joyous  eating  and  drinking  in  the  presence  of 
God  was  associated  with  the  shelamim.  W  {yid.  cxv.  2)  in  the 
freest  application  gives  a  more  animated  tone  to  the  word  with 
which  it  stands.  Because  he  is  impelled  frankly  and  freely  to 
give  thanks  before  the  whole  congregation,  W  stands  beside  *l.^^, 
and  "1.3?,  moreover,  has  the  intentional  ah. 

Vers.  15-19.  From  what  he  has  experienced  the  poet 
infers  that  the  saints  of  Jahve  are  under  His  most  especial 
providence.  Instead  of  nj'fn  the  poet,  who  is  fond  of  such 
embellishments,  chooses  the  pathetic  form  "^nitsn^  and  conse- 
quently, instead  of  the  genitival  construct  state  (nio),  the  con- 
struction with  the  Lamed  of  "  belonging  to."  It  ought  properly 
to  be  "soul"  or  "blood,"  as  in  the  primary  passage  Ixxii.  14. 
But  the  observation  of  Grotius :  quce  pretiosa  sunt,  non  facile 
largimiir,  applies  also  to  the  expression  "  death."  The  death  of 
His  saints  is  no  trifling  matter  with  God ;  He  does  not  lightly 
suffer  it  to  come  about ;  He  does  not  suffer  His  own  to  be 
torn  away  from  Him  by  death.*  After  this  the  poet  goes  on 
beseechingly:  anndh  Adonaj.  The  prayer  itself  is  not  con- 
tained in  ''7piD7  rinriQj — for  he  is  already  rescued,  and  the 
perfect  as  a  precative  is  limited  to  such  utterances  spoken  in 
the  tone  of  an  exclamation  as  we  find  in  Job  xxi.  16, — but 
remains  unexpressed ;  it  lies  wrapped  up  as  it  were  in  this 
heartfelt  dnndh :  Oh  remain  still  so  gracious  to  me  as  Thou 
hast  already  proved  Thyself  to  me.  The  poet  rejoices  in  and 
is  proud  of  the  fact  that  he  may  call  himself  the  servant  of 
God.     With  ^D^^.  he  is  mindful  of  his  pious  mother  (cf.  Ixxxvi. 


*  The  Apostolic  Constitutions  (vi.  30)  commend  the  singing  of  those 
and  other  words  of  the  Psaluis  at  the  funerals  of  those  who  have  dopartod 
in  the  faith  (cf.  Augusti,  Denkwiirdiijkeiten,  ix.  563).  In  the  reign  of  the 
Emperor  Decius,  Babylas  Bishop  of  Autioch,  full  of  blessed  hope,  met 
death  singing  these  word?. 


220  PSALM  CXVII. 


fies  a  maid,  who  is  not,  as  such,  also  i'^jo:,  a  slave.  The  dative 
of  the  object,  ^"iDi^b  (from  D'^Dio  for  the  more  usual  niiDiD),  is 
used  with  nnns  instead  of  the  accusative  after  the  Aramaic 
manner,  but  it  does  also  occur  in  the  older  Hebrew  {e.g.  Job 
xix.  3,  Isa.  liii.  11).  The  purpose  of  publicly  giving  thanks  to 
the  Gracious  One  is  now  more  full-toned  here  at  the  close. 
Since  such  emphasis  is  laid  on  the  Temple  and  the  congrega- 
tion, what  is  meant  is  literal  thank-offerings  in  payment  of 
vows.  In  ''33iri3  (as  in  cxxxv.  9)  we  have  in  the  suffix  the 
ancient  and  Aramaic  i  (cf.  ver.  7)  for  the  third  time.  With 
n3Nt  the  poet  clings  to  Jahve,  with  NSTi^J^  to  the  congregation, 
and  with  ''33103  to  the  holy  city.  The  one  thought  that  fills 
his  whole  soul,  and  in  which  the  song  which  breathes  forth 
his  soul  dies  away,  is  Hallelujah. 


PSALM    CXVII. 

INVITATION  TO  THE  PEOPLES  TO  COME  INTO  THE  KINGDOM 
OF  GOD. 

•  1  PRAISE  Jahve,  all  peoples, 
Praise  Him,  all  ye  nations  ! 
2  For  mighty  over  us  is  His  loving-kindness, 
And  the  truth  of  Jahve  endureth  for  ever, 
Hallelujah! 

The  thanksgiving  Psalm  ending  in  Hallelujah  is  followed 
by  this  shortest  of  all  the  Psalms,  a  Hallelujah  addressed  to 
the  heathen  world.  In  its  very  brevity  it  is  one  of  the  grandest 
witnesses  of  the  might  with  which,  in  the  midst  of  the  Old 
Testament,  the  world-wide  mission  of  the  religion  of  revelation 
struck  against  or  undermined  the  national  limitation.  It  is 
stamped  by  the  apostle  in  Rom.  xv.  11  as  a  locus  classiciis  for 
the  fore-ordained  {gjiaJenrathschlussmiissig)  participation  of  the 
heathen  in  the  promised  salvation  of  Israel. 

Even  this  shortest  Psalm  has  its  peculiarities  in  point  of 


PSALM  CXVIII.  221 


language.     C^S  (Aramaic  ^l^^,  Arabic  ^)  is  otherwise  alien 

to  Old  Testament  Hebrew.  The  Old  Testament  Hebrew  is 
acquainted  only  with  nies  as  an  appellation  of  Ismaelitish  or 
jSIidianitish  tribes.  D;i3"73  are,  as  in  Ixxii.  11,  17,  all  peoples 
without  distinction,  and  Dnpsn"7Zi  all  nations  without  exception. 
The  call  is  confirmed  from  the  might  of  the  mercy  or  loving- 
kindness  of  Jahve,  which  proves  itself  mighty  over  Israel,  i.e. 
by  its  intensity  and  fulness  superabundantly  covering  (133  as 
in  ciii.  11  ;  cf.  vTrepeireplaaevae,  Rom.  v.  20,  vTrepeirXeovacre, 
1  Tim.  i.  14)  human  sin  and  infirmity;  and  from  His  truth, 
by  virtue  of  which  history  on  into  eternity  ends  in  a  verifying 
of  His  promises.  Mercy  and  truth  are  the  two  divine  powers 
which  shall  one  day  be  perfectly  developed  and  displayed  in 
Israel,  and  going  forth  from  Israel,  shall  conc^uer  the  world 


PSALM    CXVIII. 

TESTIV^VL   PSALM   AT    THE    DEDICATION    OF   THE    KEW 
TEMPLE. 

{At  the  selling  out.) 

1  GIVE  thanks  unto  Jahve,  for  He  is  good, 
Yea,  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

2  Let  Israel  say  : 

"  Yea,  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever." 

3  Let  the  house  of  Aaron  say  : 

"  Yea,  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever." 

4  Let  those  who  fear  Jahve  say  : 

"  Yea,  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever." 

(On  the  way.) 

5  Out  of  straitness  I  cried  unto  Jab, 
Jah  answered  me  upon  a  broad  plain. 

6  Jahve  is  for  me — I  do  not  fear, 
What  can  men  do  unto  me  ? 

7  Jahve  is  for  me  as  my  help. 

Therefore  shall  I  see  my  desire  upon  those  who  hate  me. 


222  rsALM  cxviii. 

8  It  is  better  to  hide  one's  self  in  Jahve 
Than  to  put  confidence  in  men. 

9  It  is  better  to  take  refuge  in  Jahve 
Than  to  put  confidence  in  princes. 

10  Let  all  the  heathen  compass  me  about — • 

In  the  name  of  Jahve  will  I  verily  cut  them  in  pieces. 

1 1  Let  them  compass  me  about  on  all  sides — 

In  the  name  of  Jahve  will  I  verily  cut  them  in  pieces. 

12  Let  them  compass  me  about  like  bees — 
They  are  extinguished  like  a  fire  of  thorns, 

In  the  name  of  Jahve  will  I  verily  cut  them  in  pieces. 
]  3  Thou  gavest  me  indeed  a  thrust  that  I  might  fall, 
But  Jahve  hatli  helped  me. 

14  My  pride  and  my  song  is  Jah, 
And  He  became  my  salvation. 

15  The  cry  of  exultation  and  of  salvation  resoundeth  in  the 

tents  of  the  righteous  : 
The  right  hand  of  Jahve  getteth  the  victory. 
IB  The  right  hand  of  Jahve  is  highly  exalted, 
The  right  hand  of  Jahve  getteth  the  victory. 

17  I  shall  not  die,  nay  I  shall  live, 
And  declare  the  deeds  of  Jah. 

18  Jah  hath  chastened  me  sore. 

But  hath  not  given  me  over  unto  death. 

{At  the  going  in.) 

19  Open  to  me  the  gates  of  righteousness. 

That  I  may  enter  into  them,  that  I  may  give  thanks  to  Jah ! 

{Those  who  receive  the  festal  procession.) 

20  This  is  the  gate  of  Jahve, 
The  righteous  may  enter  there. 

211  give  thanks  unto  Thee,  for  Thou  hast  answered  me, 
And  art  become  my  salvation. 

22  The  stone,  which  the  builders  despised. 
Is  become  the  corner  and  head  stone. 

23  From  Jahve  is  this  come  to  pass, 
It  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes. 

21  This  is  the  day  which  Jahve  hath  made, 
Let  us  exult  and  rejoice  at  it  1 


PSALM  CXVIII.  223 

25  O  Jahve,  save  I  beseech  Thee, 

O  Jahve,  grant  I  beseecli  Thee  prosperity  ! ! 

26  Blessed  be  he  who  cometh  in  the  name  of  Jahve, 
"We  bless  you  from  the  house  of  Jahve. 

27  God  is  Jahve  and  hath  given  us  light — 
Bind  the  festive  sacrifice  with  cords 
Even  up  to  the  horns  of  the  altar ! 

(Ansicej'  of  those  ivJio  have  arrived.) 

28  My  God  art  Thou,  therefore  will  I  give  Thee  thanlis, 
My  Deity,  I  will  exalt  Tiiee. 

{All  together.) 

29  Give  thanks  unto  Jahve,  for  He  is  good. 
Yea,  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

What  the  close  of  Ps.  cxvii.  says  of  God's  truth,  viz.  that 
it  endureth  for  ever,  the  beginning  of  Ps.  cxviii.  says  of  its 
sister,  His  mercy  or  loving-kindness.  It  is  the  closing  Psalm 
of  the  Hallel,  which  begins  with  Ps.  cxiii.,  and  the  third  Ilodu 
(vid.  on  Ps.  cv.).  It  was  Luther's  favourite  Psalm  :  his  beau- 
teous Conjitemini^  which  "  had  helped  him  out  of  troubles  out 
of  which  neither  emperor  nor  king,  nor  any  other  man  on 
earth,  could  have  helped  him."  With  the  exposition  of  this 
his  uoblest  jewel,  his  defence  and  his  treasure,  he  occupied 
himself  in  the  solitude  of  his  Patmos. 

It  is  without  any  doubt  a  post-exilic  song.  Here  too  Hup- 
feld  sweeps  away  everything  into  vague  generality ;  but  the 
history  of  the  period  after  the  Exile,  without  any  necessity  for 
our  coming  down  to  the  Maccabsean  period,  as  do  De  Wette 
and  Hitzig,  presents  three  occasions  which  might  have  given 
birth  to  it ;  viz.  (1)  The  first  celebration  of  the  Feast  of  Taber- 
nacles in  the  seventh  month  of  the  first  year  of  the  Return, 
when  there  was  only  a  plain  altar  as  yet  erected  on  the  holy 
place,  Ezra  iii.  1-4  (to  be  distinguished  from  a  later  celebra- 
tion of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  on  a  large  scale  and  in  exact 
accordance  with  the  directions  of  the  Law,  Neh.  ch.  viii.).  So 
Ewald.  (2)  The  laying  of  the  foundation-stone  of  the  Temple 
in  the  second  month  of  the  second  yc^v,  Ezra  iii.  8  sqq.  So 
Hengstcnberg.     (3)  The  d'.'dication  of  the  completed  Temple 


224  PSALM  CXVIII. 

in  the  twelfth  month  of  the  sixth  year  of  Darius,  Ezra  vi.  15 
sqq.  So  Stier.  These  references  to  cotemporary  history  have 
all  three  more  or  less  in  their  favour.  The  first  is  favoured 
more  especially  by  the  fact,  that  at  the  time  of  the  second 
Temple  ver.  25  was  the  festal  cry  amidst  which  the  altar  of 
burnt-offering  was  solemnly  compassed  on  the  first  six  days  of 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  once,  and  on  the  seventh  day  seven 
times.  This  seventh  day  was  called  the  great  Hosanna  (^Ho- 
sanna  rabba),  and  not  only  the  prayers  for  the  Feast  of  Taber- 
nacles, but  even  the  branches  of  willow  trees  (including  the 
myrtles)  which  are  bound  to  the  palm-branch  {hdab),  were 
called  Hosannas  (niiyci'in,  Aramaic  '•jyti'in).*  The  second  his- 
torical reference  is  favoured  by  the  fact,  that  the  narrative 
appears  to  point  directly  to  our  Psalm  when  it  says  :  And  the 
huilders  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Temple  of  Jahve,  and  the 
priests  were  draivn  up  there  in  ojfficial  robes  with  trumpets,  and 
the  Levites  the  descendants  of  Asaph  loith  cymbals^  to  praise 
Jahve  after  the  direction  of  David  king  of  Israel,  and  they  sang 
h^;-p]-hv  npn  D^ii^ij-^ii  ait:  ^3  r\Sr\'b  nninni  ^^n^;  and  all  the 
people  raised  a  great  shout  nin7  ?pn3,  because  the  house  of  Jahve 
was  founded.  But  both  of  these  derivations  of  the  Psalm  are 
opposed  by  the  fact  that  vers.  19  and  20  assume  that  the 
Temple-building  is  already  finished ;  whereas  the  unmistake- 
able  allusions  to  the  events  that  transpired  during  the  building 
of  the  Temple,  viz.  the  intrigues  of  the  Samaritans,  the  hos- 
tility of  the  neighbouring  peoples,  and  the  capriciousness  of  the 
Persian  kings,  favour  the  third.  In  connection  with  this  refer- 
ence of  the  Psalm  to  the  post-exilic  dedication  of  the  Temple, 
vers.  19,  20,  too,  now  present  no  difficulty.  Ver.  22  is  better 
understood  as  spoken  in  the  presence  of  the  now  upreared 
Temple-building,  than  as  spoken  in  the  presence  of  the  foun- 
dation-stone ;  and  the  words  "  unto  the  horns  of  the  altar"  in 
ver.  27,  interpreted  in  many  different  ways,  come  into  the  light 
of  Ezra  vi.  17. 

The  Psalm  falls  into  two  divisions.  The  first  division 
(vers.  1-19)  is  sung  by  the  festive  procession  brought  up  by 
the  priests  and  Levites,  which  is  ascending  to  the  Temple  with 


*  Vid.  my  Talmudic  Studies,  vi.  (Der  Hosianna-Rttf),  in  the  Lutherische 
ZciUchift,  1855,  S.  653-656. 


PSALM  CXVIII.  1-18.  225 

tlie  animals  for  sacrifice.  With  ver.  19  the  procession  stands 
at  the  entrance.  The  second  part  (vers.  20-27)  is  sung  by 
the  body  of  Levites  who  receive  the  festive  procession.  Then 
ver.  28  is  the  answer  of  those  who  have  arrived,  and  ver.  29 
the  concluding  song  of  all  of  them.  Tiiis  antiphonal  arrange- 
ment is  recognised  even  by  the  Talmud  {B.  Pesachiin  119a) 
and  Midrash.  The  whole  Psalm,  too,  has  moreover  a  peculiar 
formation.  It  resembles  the  Mashal  Psalms,  for  each  verse 
has  of  itself  its  completed  sense,  its  own  scent  and  hue  ;  one 
thought  is  joined  to  another  as  branch  to  branch  and  flower  to 
flower. 

"Vers.  1-18.  The  Hodu-cry  is  addressed  first  to  all  and 
every  one ;  then  the  whole  body  of  the  laity  of  Israel  and  the 
priests,  and  at  last  (as  it  appears)  the  proselytes  {vid.  on  cxv. 
9-11)  who  fear  the  God  of  revelation,  are  urgently  admonished 
to  echo  it  back ;  for  "  yea.  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever,"  is 
the  required  hypophon.  In  ver.  5,  Israel  too  then  begins  as 
one  man  to  praise  the  ever-gracious  goodness  of  God.  nj,  the 
Jod  of  which  might  easily  become  inaudible  after  "'^'^'Ji?,  has  an 
emphatic  JDagesh  as  in  ver.  18a,  and  i.»^n  has  the  orthophonic 
stroke  beside  i^  (the  so-called  ''i?.'?),  which  points  to  the  correct 
tone-syllable  of  the  word  that  has  Dechi*  Instead  of  "'J?y  it  is 
here  pointed  ^JV,  which  also  occurs  in  other  instances  not  only 
with  distinctive,  but  also  (though  not  uniformly)  with  conjunc- 
tive accents.f  The  construction  is  a  pregnant  one  (as  in  xxii. 
22,  xxviii.  1,  Ixxiv.  7,  2  Sam.  xviii.  19,  Ezra  ii.  62,  2  Chron. 
xxxii.  1)  :  He  answered  me  by  removing  me  to  a  free  space 


*  Vid.  Baer's  Thoratli  Emeth,  p.  7  note,  and  p.  21,  end  of  note  1. 

t  Hitzig  on  Prov.  viii.  22  considers  the  pointing  ''jjp  to  be  occasioned 
by  Dechi,  and  in  fact  ^jjy  in  the  passage  before  us  has  Tarcha,  and  in 
1  Sam.  xxviii.  15  Munach;  but  in  the  passage  before  us,  if  we  read  n^3m)03 
as  one  word  according  to  the  Masora,  ^jjy  is  rather  to  be  accented  with 
Mugrash ;  and  in  1  Sam.  xxviii.  15  the  reading  ^jjy  is  found  side  by  side 
with  ^jjy  (e.g.  in  Bill.  Bomhery.  1521).  Nevertheless  '<:nD"lV  xvii.  3,  and 
'Jin  Job  XXX.  19  (according  to  Kimchi's  Michlul,  SOa),  beside  MercJin, 
show  that  the  pointing  beside  conjunctive  as  beside  disjunctive  accents 
wavers  between  a  and  a,  although  a  is  properly  only  justified  beside  dis- 
junctive accents,  and  ^j^v  also  really  only  occurs  in  pause. 

VOL.  IIL  M 


226  TSAUl  CXVIII.  1-18. 

(xviii.  20).     Both  lines  end  with  ^l ;  nevertheless  the  reading 

iT3n"i?2a  is  attested  by  the  Alasora  (vid,  Baer's  Psallerium,  pp. 
132  sq.),  instead  of  ^)  2rn?23.  It  has  its  advocates  even  in  the 
Talmud  {B.  Pesachim  117a),  and  signifies  a  boundless  extent, 

TV  expressing  the  highest  degree  of  comparison,  like  '"'vS^'?  in 
Jer.  ii.  31,  the  deepest  darkness.  Even  the  LXX.  appears  to 
have  read  rT'nmD  thus  as  one  word  (et?  'TrXarvafiov,  Symmachus 
et?  eupv-^wplav).  The  Targum  and  Jerome,  however,  render 
it  as  we  do ;  it  is  highly  improbable  that  in  one  and  the  same 
verse  the  divine  name  should  not  be  intended  to  be  used  in  the 
same  force  of  meaning.  Ps.  Ivi.  (vers.  10 ;  5,  12)  echoes  in 
ver.  6 ;  and  in  ver.  7  Ps.  liv.  (ver.  6)  is  in  the  mind  of  the 
later  poet.  In  that  passage  it  is  still  more  clear  than  in  the 
passage  before  us  that  by  the  Beth  of  "'iTJ''?  Jahve  is  not  meant 
to  be  designated  as  uniis  e  midtis,  but  as  a  helper  who  outweighs 
the  greatest  multitude  of  helpers.  The  Jewish  people  had 
experienced  this  helpful  succour  of  Jahve  in  opposition  to  the 
persecutions  of  the  Samaritans  and  the  satraps  during  the 
building  of  the  Temple ;  and  had  at  the  same  time  learned  what 
is  expressed  in  vers.  7,  8  (cf.  cxlvi.  3),  that  trust  in  Jahve  (for 
which  2  npn  is  the  proper  word)  proves  true,  and  trust  in  men, 
on  the  contrary,  and  especially  in  princes,  is  deceptive ;  for 
under  Pseudo-Smerdis  the  work,  begun  under  Cyrus,  and  re- 
presented as  open  to  suspicion  even  in  the  reign  of  Cambyses, 
was  interdicted.  But  in  the  reign  of  Darius  it  again  became 
free :  Jahve  showed  that  He  disposes  events  and  the  hearts  of 
men  in  favour  of  His  people,  so  that  out  of  this  has  grown  up 
in  the  minds  of  His  people  the  confident  expectation  of  a  world- 
subduing  supremacy  expressed  in  ver.  10. 

The  clauses  vers.  10a,  11a,  and  12a,  expressed  in  the  perfect 
form,  are  intended  more  hypothetically  than  as  describing  facts. 
The  perfect  is  here  set  out  in  relief  as  a  hypothetical  tense  by 
the  following  future.  D^i3"l?3  signifies,  as  in  cxvii.  1,  the  heathen 
of  every  kind.  D*"ih"n  (in  the  Aramaic  and  Arabic  with  t)  are 
both  bees  and  wasps,  which  make  themselves  especially  trouble- 
some in  harvest  time.  The  sufhx  of  D?^CN*  (from  So  =  ?7^,  to 
liew  down,  cut  in  pieces)  is  the  same  as  in  Ex.  xxix.  30,  ii.  17, 
tnd  also  beside  a  conjunctive  accent  in  Ixxiv.  8.  Yet  the 
readinf  D^'ox,  like  in"'n^.  Hab.  ii.  17,  is  here  the  better  supported 


PSALM  CXVIII.  1-13.  227 

{vid.  Gcsenlus,  Lehrgehdnde,  S.  177),  and  it  has  been  aJoptoJ 
by  Norzi,  Heidenheim,  and  Baer.  The  ^3  is  that  which  states 
the  ground  or  reason,  and  then  becomes  directly  confirmatory 
and  assuring  (cxxviii.  2,  4),  which  here,  after  the  "in  the  name 
of  Jahve"  that  precedes  it,  is  appHed  and  placed  just  as  in 
the  oath  in  1  Sam.  xiv.  44.  And  in  general,  as  Eedslob  has 
demonstrated,  '3  has  not  originally  a  relative,  but  a  positive 
(determining)  signification,  3  being  just  as  much  a  demonstra- 
tive sound  as  n,  T,  C*,  and  D  (cf.  e/cei,  iKelvo'^,  K€ivo<;,  ecce,  hie, 
illic,  with  the  Doric  t>]v6i,  tt/^o?).  The  notion  of  compassing 
round  about  is  heightened  in  ver.  11a  by  the  juxtaposition  of 
two  forms  of  the  same  verb  (Ges.  §  67,  rem.  10),  as  in  Hos. 
iv.  18,  Hab.  i.  5,  Zeph.  ii.  1,  and  frequently.  The  figure  of 
the  bees  is  taken  from  Deut.  i.  44.  The  perfect  I3y'"n  (cf.  Isa. 
xliii.  17)  describes  their  destruction,  which  takes  place  instantly 
and  unexpectedly.  The  Pual  points  to  the  punishing  power 
that  comes  upon  them :  they  are  extinguished  {exstinguuntur) 
like  a  fire  of  thorns,  the  crackling  flame  of  which  expires 
as  quickly  as  it  has  blazed  up  (Iviii.  10).  In  ver.  13  the 
language  of  Israel  is  addressed  to  the  hostile  worldly  power,  as 
the  antithesis  shows.  It  thrust,  yea  thrust  {inf.  iiitens.)  Israel, 
that  it  might  fall  (''Bj?  ;  with  reference  to  the  pointing,  vid.  on 
xl.  15) ;  but  Jahve's  help  would  not  suffer  it  to  come  to  that 
pass.  Therefore  the  song  at  the  Red  Sea  is  revived  in  the 
heart  and  mouth  of  Israel.  Ver.  14  (like  Isa.  xii.  2)  is  taken 
from  Ex.  xv.  2.  ^TV  (in  MSS.  also  written  MV)  is  a  collateral 
form  of  ^)V  (Ew.  §  255,  a),  and  here  signifies  the  lofty  self- 
consciousness  which  is  united  with  the  possession  of  power: 
pride  and  its  expression  an  exclamation  of  joy.  Concerning 
ri"^OT  vid.  on  xvi.  G.  As  at  that  time,  the  cry  of  exultation  and 
of  salvation  {i.e.  of  deliverance  and  of  victory)  is  in  the  taber- 
nacles of  the  righteous :  the  right  hand  of  Jahve — they  sing 
— ?''n  nb'y  (Num.  xxiv.  18),  practises  valour,  proves  itself 
energetic,  gains  (maintains)  the  victory,  nr^nh  is  Milra,  and 
therefore  an  adjective :  victorlosa  (Ew.  §  120,  d),  from  CO"i  = 
Dn  like  QOi^i'  from  Dm.  It  is  not  the  part.  Pd.  (cf.  Hos.  xi. 
7),  since  the  rejection  of  the  participial  Mem  occurs  in  connec- 
tion with  Poal  and  Pual^  but  not  elsewhere  with  Pilel  (Q?il  = 
DoiiO  from  UV\).  The  word  yields  a  simpler  sense,  too,  as  adject, 
particijjiale  Kal;  ronitmd'h  is  only  the  fuller  form  for  runiu/i, 


228  PSALM  CXVIII.  19-29. 

Ex.  xiv.  8  (cf.  ramaJi,  Isa.  xxvi.  11).  It  is  not  its  own  strength 
that  avails  for  Israel's  exultation  of  victory,  but  the  energy  of 
the  right  hand  of  Jahve.  Being  come  to  the  brink  of  the 
abyss,  Israel  is  become  anew  sure  of  its  immortality  through 
Him.  God  has,  it  is  true,  most  severely  chastened  it  C?']^^  with 
the  suffix  a7i7ii  as  in  Gen.  xxx.  6,  and  n>  with  the  emphatic 
Dayesh,  which  neither  reduplicates  nor  connects,  cf.  ver.  5, 
xciv.  12),  but  still  with  moderation  (Isa.  xxvii.  7  sq.).  He  has 
not  suffered  Israel  to  fall  a  prey  to  death,  but  reserved  it  for 
its  high  vocation,  that  it  may  see  the  mighty  deeds  of  God  and 
proclaim  them  to  all  the  world.  Amidst  such  celebration  of 
Jahve  the  festive  procession  of  the  dedication  of  the  Temple 
has  arrived  at  the  enclosure  wall  of  the  Temple. 

Vers.  19-29.  The  gates  of  the  Temple  are  called  gates  of 
righteousness  because  they  are  the  entrance  to  the  place  of  the 
mutual  intercourse  between  God  and  His  church  in  accordance 
with  the  order  of  salvation.  First  the  "  gates  "  are  spoken  of, 
and  then  the  one  "  gate,"  the  principal  entrance.  Those  enter- 
ing in  must  be  "righteous  ones;"  only  conformity  with  the 
divine  loving  will  gives  the  right  to  enter.  With  reference  to 
the  formation  of  the  conclusion  ver.  1%,  vid.  Ew.  §  347,  b. 
In  the  Temple-building  Israel  has  before  it  a  reflection  of  that 
which,  being  freed  from  the  punishment  it  had  had  to  endure, 
it  is  become  through  the  mercy  of  its  God.  With  the  exulta- 
tion of  the  multitude  over  the  happy  beginning  of  the  rebuild- 
ing there  was  mingled,  at  the  laying  of  the  foundation-stone,  the 
loud  weeping  of  many  of  the  grey-headed  priests,  Levites,  and 
heads  of  the  tribes  who  had  also  seen  the  first  Temple  (Ezra 
iii.  12  sq.).  It  was  the  troublous  character  of  the  present 
which  made  them  thus  siid  in  spirit ;  the  consideration  of  the 
depressing  circumstances  of  the  time,  the  incongruity  of  which 
weighed  so  heavily  upon  their  soul  in  connection  with  the 
remembrance  of  the  former  Temple,  that  memorably  glorious 
monument  of  the  royal  power  of  David  and  Solomon.*  And 
even  further  on  there  towered  aloft  before  Zerubbabel,  the 
leader  of  the  building,  a  great  mountain ;  gigantic  difficulties 
and  hindrances  arose  between  the  powerlessness  of  the  present 


•  Kurtz,  iu  combating  our  interpretation,  reduces  the  number  of  tlio 
weeping  ones  to  "some  few,"  but  the  narrative  says  the  very  opposite. 


PSALM  CXVIII.  19-29.  229 

position  of  ZeruLbabel  and  the  completion  of  the  buiUini;  of 
the  Temple,  which  had  it  is  true  been  begun,  but  was  imjieded. 
This  mountain  God  has  made  into  a  plain,  and  qualified  Zerub- 
babel  to  bring  forth  the  top  and  key-stone  (n'j'Nin  i^sn)  out  of 
its  past  concealment,  and  thus  to  complete  the  building,  which 
is  now  consecrated  amidst  a  loud  outburst  of  incessant  shouts 
of  joy  (Zech.  iv.  7).  Ver.  22  points  back  to  that  disheartened 
disdain  of  the  small  troublous  beginning,  which  was  at  work 
among  the  builders  (Ezra  iii.  10)  at  the  laying  of  the  founda- 
tion-stone, and  then  further  at  the  interruption  of  the  building. 
That  rejected  (disdained)  corner-stone  is  nevertheless  become 
n3B  C'Nij  i.e.  the  head-stone  of  the  corner  (Job  xxxviii.  6),  which 
being  laid  upon  the  corner,  supports  and  protects  the  stately 
edifice — an  emblem  of  the  power  and  dignity  to  which  Israel 
has  attained  in  the  midst  of  the  peoples  out  of  deep  humiliation. 
In  connection  with  this  only  indirect  reference  of  the  asser- 
tion to  Israel  we  avoid  the  question, — perplexing  in  connection 
with  the  direct  reference  to  the  people  despised  by  the  heathen, 
— how  can  the  heathen  be  called  "  the  builders  ?  "  Kurtz 
answers :  "  For  the  building  which  the  heathen  world  considers 
it  to  be  its  life's  mission  and  its  mission  in  history  to  rear,  viz. 
the  Babel-tower  of  worldly  power  and  worldly  glory,  they  have 
neither  been  able  nor  willing  to  make  use  of  Israel  .  .  ."  But 
this  conjunction  of  ideas  is  devoid  of  scriptural  support  and 
without  historical  reality;  for  the  empire  of  the  world  has  set 
just  as  much  value,  according  to  political  relations,  upon  the 
incorporation  of  Israel  as  uj)on  that  of  every  other  people. 
Further,  if  what  is  meant  is  Israel's  own  despising  of  the  small 
beginning  of  a  new  era  that  is  dawning,  it  is  then  better  ex- 
plained as  in  connection  with  the  reference  of  the  declaration 
to  Jesus  the  Christ  in  ^latt.  xxi.  42-44,  Mark  xii.  10  sq.,  Acts 
iv.  11  (ycj)  vfMcov  Tcav  oUoBofjiovvTCov),  1  Pet.  ii.  7,  the  builders 
are  the  chiefs  and  members  of  Israel  itself,  and  not  the  heathen. 
From  1  Pet.  ii.  6,  Rom.  ix.  33,  we  see  how  this  reference  to 
Christ  is  brought  about,  viz.  by  means  of  Isa.  xxviii.  16,  where 
Jahve  says :  Behold  I  am  He  icho  hath  laid  in  Zion  a  stone,  a 
stone  of  trial,  a  precious  corner-stone  of  well-founded  founding — 
whoever  helieveth  shall  not  totter.  In  the  light  of  this  Messianic 
prophecy  of  Isaiah  ver.  22  of  our  Psalm  also  comes  to  have  a 
Messianic  meaning,  which  is  warranted  by  the  fact,  that  the 


230  PSALM  CXVIII.  19-29. 

history  of  Israel  is  recapitulated  and  culminates  in  the  history 
of  Christ;  or,  according  to  John  ii.  19-21'(cf.  Zech.  vi.  12  sq.), 
still  more  accurately  by  the  fact,  that  He  who  in  His  state  of 
humiliation  is  the  despised  and  rejected  One  is  become  in  His 
state  of  glorification  the  eternal  glorious  Temple  in  which 
dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily,  and  is  united 
with  humanity  which  has  been  once  for  all  atoned  for.  In  the 
joy  of  the  church  at  the  Temple  of  the  body  of  Christ  which 
arose  after  the  three  days  of  burial,  the  joy  which  is  here 
typically  expressed  in  the  words :  "  From  with  Jahve,  i.e. 
hy  the  might  which  dwells  with  Him,  is  this  come  to  pass, 
wonderful  is  it  become  (has  it  been  carried  out)  in  our 
eyes,"  therefore  received  its  fulfilment.  It  is  not  nsPSJ  but 
nsbsJ,  like  nxan  in  Gen.  xxxiii.  11,  ns^i?  from  Nn^  =  r\y^  in 
Deut.  xxxi.  29,  Jer.  xliv.  23,  ns^i^  from  N"Ji5,  to  call,  Isa.  vii. 
14.  We  can  hear  Isa.  xxv.  9  sounding  through  this  passage, 
as  above  in  vers.  19  sq.,  Isa.  xxvi.  1  sq.  The  God  of  Israel  has 
given  this  turn,  so  full  of  glory  for  His  people,  to  the  history.* 
He  is  able  now  to  plead  for  more  distant  salvation  and  pro- 
sperity with  all  the  more  fervent  confidence.  N3N  (six  times 
n3X)  is,  as  in  every  other  instance  {yid.  on  cxvi.  4),  Milra. 
njr^'in  is  accented  regularly  on  the  penult.,  and  draws  the  fol- 
lowing i«3  towards  itself  by  means  of  Dag.  forte  conj. ;  ^^Y^<] 
on  the  other  hand  is  Milra  according  to  the  Masora  and  other 
ancient  testimonies,  and  t^3  is  not  dageshed,  without  Norzi 
being  able  to  state  any  reason  for  this  different  accentuation, 
After  this  watchword  of  prayer  of  the  thanksgiving  feast,  in 
ver.  26  those  who  receive  them  bless  those  who  are  coming 
(N2n  with  JDechi)  in  the  name  of  Jahve,  i.e.  bid  them  welcome 
in  His  name.  The  expression  "  from  the  house  of  Jahve," 
like  "  from  the  fountain  of  Israel"  in  Ixviii.  27,  is  equivalent 
to,  ye  who  belong  to  His  house  and  to  the  church  congregated 
around  it.  In  the  mouth  of  the  people  welcoming  Jesus  as  the 
Messiah,  'flcravvd  was  a  "  God  save  the  king"  {vid.  on  xx.  10)  ; 
they  scattered  palm  branches  at  the  same  time,  like  the  lulahs 
at  the  joyous  cry  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  and  saluted  Him 


*  The  verse,  "  This  is  the  day  wliich  the  liOrd  hath  made,"  etc.,  was, 
according  to  Chrysostom,  an  ancient  hypophon  of  the  church.  It  has  a 
glorious  history. 


PSALM  CXVIII.  10-29.  231 

with  the  cry,  "  Blessed  is  He  who  cometh  in  the  name  of  tlie 
Lord,"  as  being  the  longed-for  guest  of  the  Feast  (Matt.  xxi.  9). 
According  to  the  Midrash,  in  ver.  2Q  it  is  the  people  of  Jeru- 
Balem  who  thus  greet  the  pilgrims.  In  the  original  sense  of  the 
Psalm,  however,  it  is  the  body  of  Levites  and  priests  above  on 
the  Temple-hill  who  thus  receive  the  congregation  that  has 
come  up.  The  many  animals  for  sacrifice  which  they  brought 
with  them  are  enumerated  in  Ezra  vi.  17.  On  the  ground  of 
the  fact  that  Jahve  has  proved  Himself  to  be  -'X,  the  absolutely 
mighty  One,  by  having  granted  light  to  His  people,  viz.  loving- 
kindness,  liberty,  and  joy,  there  then  issues  forth  the  ejaculation, 
"  Bind  the  sacrifice,"  etc.  The  LXX.  renders  avanjaaade 
eoprijv  iv  toU  TrvKa^ovatv,  which  is  reproduced  by  the  Psal- 
terium  Romanum :  constUuite  diem  solemnem  in  confrequenta- 
tionibiis,  as  Eusebius,  Theodoret,  and  Chrysostom  (although 
the  last  waveringly)  also  interpret  it ;  on  the  other  hand,  it  is 
rendered  by  the  Fsalterium  GalUcum :  in  condensis,  as  Apol- 
linaris  and  Jerome  (in  frondosis)  also  understand  it.  But  much 
as  Luther's  version,  which  follows  the  latter  interpretation, 
"  Adorn  the  feast  with  green  branches  even  to  the  horns  of  the 
altar,"  accords  with  our  German  taste,  it  is  still  untenable ;  for 
IDX  cannot  signify  to  encircle  with  garlands  and  the  like,  nor 
would  it  be  altogether  suited  to  3n  in  this  signification.*  Thus 
then  in  this  instance  A.  Lobwasser  renders  it  comparatively  more 
correctly,  although  devoid  of  taste  :  "  The  Lord  is  great  and 
mighty  of  strength  who  lighteneth  us  all ;  fasten  your  hullocks 
to  the  horns  beside  the  altar."  To  the  horns  ?  !  So  even  Hitzig 
and  others  render  it.  But  such  a  "  binding  to"  is  unheard  of. 
And  can  ^V  IDN  possibly  signify  to  bind  on  to  anything?  And 
what  would  be  the  object  of  binding  them  to  the  horns  of  the 
altar  ?  In  order  that  they  might  not  run  away  ?  I  Ilengsten- 
berg  and  von  Lengerke  at  least  disconnect  the  words  "  unto 
the  horns  of  the  altar"  from  any  relation  to  this  precautionary 
measure,  by  interpreting :  until  it  (the  animal  for  the  festal 


*  Symmachus  has  felt  this,  for  instead  of  avaT/.auaS-  koprriv  iv  roii  wx-i.- 
^ovatv  (in  condensis)  of  the  LXX.,  he  renders  it,  transposing  the  notions, 
cvvO'^aotTi  iv  "T^ctvy^yvpn  "TrvKuaf^ctTX.  Chrysostom  interprets  this  :  oTi^xvu- 
(/sttta.  y^cti  k'Kuoovs  uvx-^xts  t^  vctu,  for  Moutfaucon,  who  regards  this  aa 
the  version  of  the  Sexta^  is  in  error. 


232  PSALM  CXIX. 

sacrifice)  is  raised  upon  the  horns  of  the  altar  and  sacrificed. 
But  liow  much  is  then  imputed  to  these  words  !  No  indeed, 
3n  denotes  the  animals  for  the  feast-offering,  and  there  was  so 
vast  a  number  of  these  (according  to  Ezra  he.  cit.  seven  hun- 
dred and  twelve)  that  the  whole  space  of  the  court  of  the  priests 
was  full  of  them,  and  the  binding  of  them  consequently  had 
to  go  on  as  far  as  to  the  horns  of  the  altar.  Ainsworth  (1627) 
correctly  renders :  "  unto  the  homes,  that  is,  all  the  Court 
over,  untill  you  come  even  to  the  homes  of  the  altar,  intending 
hereby  many  sacrifices  or  boughs."  The  meaning  of  the  call 
is  therefore  :  Bring  your  hecatombs  and  make  them  ready  for 
sacrifice.*  The  words  "  unto  (as  far  as)  the  horns  of  the 
altar"  have  the  principal  accent.  In  ver.  28  (cf.  Ex.  xv.  2) 
the  festal  procession  replies  in  accordance  with  the  character  of 
the  feast,  and  then  the  Psalm  closes,  in  correspondence  with  its 
beginning,  with  a  Hodu  in  which  all  voices  join. 


PSALM    CXIX. 

A  TWENTY-TWO-FOLD  STRING  OP  APHORISMS  BY  ONE  WHO 
IS  PERSECUTED  FOR  THE  SAKE  OF  HIS  FAITH. 

Aleph. 

1  BLESSED  are  those  whose  ways  are  blameless, 
Who  walk  in  the  law  of  Jahve  ! 

2  Blessed  are  those  who  keep  His  testimonies, 
Who  seek  Him  with  the  whole  heart, 

3  They  also  do  no  unrighteousness — 
They  walk  in  His  ways. 

4  Tnou  hast  enjoined  Thy  precepts 
To  keep  them  diligently. 

5  Oh  that  my  ways  were  directed 
To  keep  Thy  statutes  ! 

6  Then  shall  I  not  be  ashamed. 

When  I  have  respect  unto  all  Thy  commandments. 


*  In  the  language  of  the  JcAvisli  ritual  Isru-diacj  is  become  the  name 
of  the  after-feast  day  which  follows  the  last  day  of  the  feast.  Ps.  csviii, 
is  the  customary  Psalm  for  the  Isru-charj  of  all  DHi^lO. 


rsALM  cxix.  233 

7  I  will  give  thanks  to  Thee  with  an  uprlglit  heart, 
When  I  learn  the  judgments  of  Thy  righteousness- 

8  I  will  keep  Thy  statutes: 
Forsake  me  not  utterly. 

Beth. 

9  "Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man  keep  his  way  pure  ? 
If  he  taketh  heed  according  to  Thy  word. 

10  With  the  whole  heart  have  I  sought  Thee  : 
Let  me  not  wander  from  Thy  commandments. 

11  In  my  heart  do  I  treasure  up  Tiiy  word, 
That  I  may  not  sin  against  Thee. 

12  Blessed  art  Thou,  Jahve, 
Teach  me  Thy  statutes. 

13  With  my  lips  do  I  recount 

All  the  judgments  of  Thy  mouth. 

14  In  the  way  of  Thy  testimonies  do  I  rejoice, 
As  in  all  manner  of  possession. 

15  I  will  meditate  in  Thy  precepts, 
And  have  respect  unto  Thy  paths. 

16  In  Thy  statutes  do  I  delight  myself, 
I  will  not  forget  Thy  word. 

Gimel. 

17  Deal  bountifully  with  Thy  servant,  that  I  may  live, 
So  will  I  keep  Thy  word. 

18  Open  Thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold 
Wondrous  things  out  of  Thy  law. 

19  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth  : 

Hide  not  Thy  commandments  from  me 

20  My  soul  is  crushed  with  longing 
After  Thy  judgments  at  all  times. 

21  Thou  hast  rebuked  the  proud  ; 

Cursed  are  those  who  do  err  from  Thy  commandments. 

22  Remove  from  me  reproach  and  contempt ; 
For  I  keep  Thy  testimonies. 

23  Though  princes  sit  and  deliberate  against  me, 
Thy  servant  doth  meditate  in  Thy  statutes. 

24  Nevertheless  Thy  testimonies  are  my  delight, 
The  men  of  mv  counsel. 


234  PSALM  CXIX. 


Daleth. 

25  ^ly  son!  cleaveth  unto  the  dust : 

Quicken  Thou  me  according  to  Thy  word. 
2(3  I  declared  my  ways,  and  Thou  heardest  me: 

Teach  me  Thy  statutes. 

27  Make  me  to  understand  the  way  of  Thy  precepts: 
So  will  I  meditate  on  Thy  wondrous  works. 

28  My  soul  melteth  for  heaviness : 
Strengthen  Thou  me  according  to  Thy  word. 

29  Remove  from  me  the  way  of  lying, 
And  with  Thy  law  be  gracious  unto  me. 

30  The  way  of  truth  I  have  chosen  : 
Thy  judgments  have  I  set  before  me. 

31  I  have  given  myself  up  to  Thy  testimonies: 
Jahve,  put  me  not  to  shame. 

32  I  run  the  way  of  Thy  commandments, 
For  Thou  dost  enlarge  my  heart. 

He. 

33  Teach  me,  Jahve,  the  way  of  Thy  statutes, 
That  I  may  keep  it  unto  the  end. 

34  Give  me  understanding,  that  I  may  keep  Thy  instruction, 
■  And  observe  it  with  the  whole  heart. 

35  Make  me  to  walk  in  the  path  of  Thy  commandments; 
For  therein  do  I  delight. 

36  Incline  my  heart  unto  Thy  testimonies, 
And  not  to  covetousness. 

37  Turn  away  mine  eyes  from  beholding  vanity; 
In  Thy  way  quicken  Thou  me. 

38  Stablish  Thy  word  unto  Thy  servant. 
As  that  which  makes  them  fear  Thee. 

39  Take  away  my  reproach  which  I  fear ; 
For  Thy  judgments  are  good. 

40  Behold,  I  long  after  Thy  precepts : 
Quicken  me  in  Thy  righteousness. 

Vav. 

41  And  let  Thy  mercies  come  unto  me,  Jahve, 

Thy  salvation,  according  to  Th}-  word, 


PSALM  CXIX.  235 

42  And  I  will  answer  him  who  reproachcth  me; 
For  I  trust  in  Thy  word. 

43  And  take  not  the  word  of  truth  utterly  out  of  my  mouth  ; 
For  I  hope  in  Thy  judgments. 

44  And  I  will  keep  Thy  law  continually, 
For  ever  and  ever, 

45  And  I  will  walk  at  liherty ; 
For  I  seek  Thy  precepts. 

46  And  I  will  speak  of  Thy  testimonies  before  kings, 
And  will  not  be  ashamed. 

47  And  I  will  delight  myself  in  Thy  commandments, 
Which  I  love. 

48  And   my  hands  will   I  lift  up  unto  Thy  commandments 

[which  I  love], 
And  I  will  meditate  in  Thy  statutes. 

Zajin. 

49  Remember  the  word  unto  Thy  servant, 
Because  Thou  hast  caused  me  to  hope. 

50  This  is  my  comfort  in  my  affliction, 
That  Thy  word  hath  quickened  me. 

51  The  proud  have  had  me  greatly  in  derision — 
I  have  not  declined  from  Thy  law. 

52  I  remembered  Tiiy  judgments  of  old,  Jahve, 
And  comforted  myself. 

53  Indignation  hath  taken  hold  upon  me  because  of  the  wicked. 
Who  forsake  Thy  law. 

54  Thy  statutes  are  my  songs 

In  the  house  of  my  pilgrimage. 

55  I  have  remembered  Thy  name,  Jahve,  in  the  night, 
And  I  have  kept  Thy  law. 

56  This  is  appointed  to  me, 

That  I  should  keep  Thy  precepts. 

Heth. 

57  Thou  art  my  portion,  Jahve : 

I  have  said  that  1  would  keep  Thy  words-. 

58  I  entreated  Thee  with  the  whole  heart : 

Be  merciful  unto  me  according  to  Thy  word. 


236  PSALM  ex IX. 

59  I  tliouglit  on  my  ways, 

And  turned  my  feet  unto  Thy  testimonies, 

60  I  make  haste,  and  delay  not 
To  keep  Thy  commandments. 

61  The  cords  of  the  wicked  are  round  about  me — 
I  do  not  forget  Thy  law. 

62  At  midnight  I  will  rise  to  give  thanks  unto  Thee 
Because  of  the  judgments  of  Thy  righteousness. 

63  I  am  a  companion  of  all  those  who  fear  Thee, 
And  of  those  who  keep  Thy  precepts. 

64  The  earth,  Jahve,  is  full  of  Thy  mercy: 
Teach  me  Thy  statutes. 

Teth. 

65  Thou  hast  dealt  well  with  Thy  servant, 
Jahve,  according  unto  Thy  word. 

^Q  Teach  me  good  judgment  and  knowledge, 
For  I  believe  in  Thy  commandments. 

67  Before  I  was  afflicted  I  went  astray. 
And  now  I  keep  Thy  word. 

68  Thou  art  good,  and  doest  good ; 
Teach  me  Thy  statutes. 

69  The  proud  have  forged  a  lie  against  me — 

I  will  keep  Thy  precepts  with  the  whole  heart. 

70  Their  heart  is  as  fat  as  grease — 
I  delight  in  Thy  law. 

71  It  was  good  for  me  that  I  was  afflicted. 
That  I  might  learn  Thy  statutes. 

72  The  law  of  Thy  mouth  is  better  unto  me 
Than  thousands  of  gold  and  silver. 

Jod. 

73  Tliy  hands  have  made  me  and  fashioned  me :  [ments. 
Give  me  understanding,  that  I  may  learn  Thy  command- 

74  Let  those  who  fear  Thee  be  glad  when  they  see  me ; 
For  I  hope  in  Thy  word. 

75  I  know,  Jahve,  that  righteousness  are  Thy  judgments, 
And  that  Thou  in  faithfulness  hast  afflicted  me. 

76  Let  Thy  merciful  kindness  be  for  my  comfort, 
According  to  Thy  promise  unto  Thy  servant. 


PSALM  CXIX.  237 

77  Let  Tliy  tender  mercies  come  unto  me,  that  I  may  live  ; 
For  Thy  law  is  my  delight. 

78  Let  the  proud  be  ashamed  that  they  dealt  falsely  with  me — 
But  I  meditate  on  Thy  precepts. 

79  Let  those  who  fear  Thee  turn  unto  me, 
And  those  who  know  Thy  testimonies. 

80  Let  my  heart  be  sound  in  Thy  statutes, 
That  I  be  not  ashamed. 

Kaph. 

81  ^ly  soul  fainteth  for  Thy  salvation  : 
I  hope  in  Thy  word. 

82  Mine  eyes  fail  with  longing  for  Thy  word, 
Saying,  When  wilt  Thou  comfort  me? — 

83  Verily,  though  I  am  become  like  a  bottle  in  the  smoke, 
Do  I  not  forget  Thy  statutes. 

84  Short  indeed  are  the  days  of  Thy  servant, 

AVhen  wilt  Thou  execute  judgment  on  those  who  persecute 

85  The  proud  have  digged  pits  for  me,  [me? 
They  who  are  not  after  Thy  law. 

86  All  Thy  commandments  are  faithful : 

They  persecute  me  wrongfully ;  help  Thou  me ! 

87  They  had  almost  consumed  me  in  the  land ; 
Yet  do  I  not  forsake  Thy  precepts. 

88  Quicken  me  after  Thy  loving-kindness, 

So  will  I  keep  the  testimony  of  Thy  mouth. 

Lamed. 

89  For  ever,  Jahve, 

Thy  word  is  settled  in  heaven. 

90  Thy  faithfulness  is  unto  all  generations : 
Thou  hast  established  the  earth,  and  it  abideth. 

91  They  continue  this  day  according  to  Thy  judgments; 
For  all  beings  are  Thy  servants. 

92  Unless  Thy  law  had  been  my  delight, 

I  should  then  have  perished  in  mine  aiHiction. 

93  I  will  never  forget  Thy  precepts ; 

For  with  them  Thou  hast  quickened  me. 
D'l  1  am  Thine,  save  me  ; 
For  I  seek  Tiiy  precepts. 


238  PSALM  CXIX. 

95  If  the  wicked  He  in  wait  for  me  to  destroy  mc — 
I  consider  Thy  testimonies. 

96  To  all  perfection,  as  I  have  seen,  there  is  an  end, 
Yet  Thy  commandment  is  without  any  lin)its. 

Mem. 

97  O  how  love  I  Thy  law ! 

It  is  my  meditation  all  the  day. 

98  Thy  commandments  make  me  wiser  than  mine  enemies  , 
For  they  are  ever  my  portion. 

99  I  have  more  understanding  than  all  my  teachers; 
For  Thy  testimonies  are  my  meditation. 

100  I  understand  more  than  aged  men  ; 
For  I  keep  Tliy  precepts. 

101  I  refrain  my  feet  from  every  evil  way. 
That  I  may  keep  Thy  word. 

102  I  have  not  departed  from  Thy  judgments ; 
For  Thou  hast  taught  me. 

103  How  sweet  are  Thy  words  unto  my  taste, 
Sweeter  than  honey  to  my  mouth  ! 

104  From  Thy  precepts  I  get  understanding : 
Therefore  I  hate  every  false  way. 

Nun. 

105  Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet, 
And  a  light  unto  my  path. 

106  I  have  sworn,  and  I  will  perform  it, 

That  I  will  keep  Thy  righteous  judgments. 

107  I  am  afflicted  very  much — 

Quicken  me,  Jahve,  according  unto  Thy  word  ! 

108  Accept  the  freewill  offerings  of  my  mouth,  Jahve, 
And  teach  me  Thy  judgments. 

109  My  soul  is  continually  in  my  hand: 
Yet  do  I  not  forget  Thy  law. 

110  The  wicked  have  laid  a  snare  for  me  : 
Yet  do  I  not  err  from  Thy  precepts. 

1 1 1  Thy  testimonies  have  I  taken  as  a  heritage  for  ever ; 
For  they  are  the  rejoicing  of  my  heart. 

112  I  have  inclined  mine  heart  to  perform  Thy  statutes 
For  ever,  even  unto  the  end. 


PSALM  CXIX.  2o9 

Samech. 

113  I  liate  the  double-minded, 
And  Thy  law  do  I  love. 

114  ^ly  hiding-place  and  my  shield  art  Thon: 
I  hope  in  Thy  word. 

115  Depart  from  me,  ye  evil-doers — 

I  will  keep  the  commandments  of  my  God 

116  Uphold  me  according  unto  Thy  word,  and  I  shall  live, 
And  let  me  not  be  ashamed  of  my  hope. 

117  Hold  Thou  me  up,  and  I  shall  be  safe, 

And  I  will  have  respect  unto  Thy  statutes  continually. 

118  Thou  hast  trodden  down   all  them  that  err  from  Thy 
For  their  intrigue  is  falseliood.  [statutes  ; 

119  Thou  puttest  away  all  the  wicked  of  the  earth  like  dross  : 
Therefore  I  love  Thy  testimonies. 

120  My  flesh  is  rigid  for  terror  of  Thee, 
And  I  am  afraid  of  Thy  judgments. 

Ajin. 

121  I  have  done  judgment  and  righteousness  : 
Thou  wilt  not  leave  me  to  mine  oppressors. 

122  Be  surety  for  Thy  servant  for  good : 
Let  not  the  proud  oppress  me. 

123  Mine  eyes  fail  for  Thy  salvation. 

And  for  the  word  of  Thy  righteousness. 

124  Deal  with  Thy  servant  according  unto  Thy  mercy, 
And  teach  me  Thy  statutes. 

125  Thy  servant  am  I,  give  me  understanding, 
That  1  may  know  Thy  testimonies. 

126  It  is  time  to  interpose  for  Jahve : 
They  have  made  void  Thy  law. 

127  Therefore  I  love  Thy  commandments 
More  than  gold,  and  than  fine  gold. 

128  Thei'efore  I  esteem  all  precepts  concerning  all  things  In 
I  hate  every  false  way.  [be  right  ; 

Fhe  (Pe). 

129  Wonderful  are  Thy  testimonies: 
Therefore  doth  my  soul  keep  them. 


240  PSALM  CXIX. 

130  The  unfolding  of  Thy  words  giveth  light; 
Giving  understanding  unto  the  simple. 

131  I  opened  my  mouth,  and  panted  ; 
For  I  long  for  Thy  commandments. 

132  Look  Thou  upon  me,  and  be  merciful  unto  me, 
As  is  right  towards  those  who  love  Tliy  name. 

133  Establish  my  steps  by  Thy  word, 

And  let  not  any  iniquity  have  dominion  over  me. 

134  Deliver  me  from  the  oppression  of  man, 
And  I  will  keep  Thy  precepts. 

135  Make  Thy  face  to  shine  upon  Thy  servant, 
And  teach  me  Thy  statutes. 

136  Mine  eyes  run  down  rivers  of  waters, 
Because  they  keep  not  Thy  law. 

Tsade. 

137  Righteous  art  Thou,  Jahve, 
And  upright  are  Thy  judgments. 

138  Thou  hast  commanded  Thy  testimonies  in  righteousness, 
And  in  very  faithfulness. 

139  My  zeal  consumeth  me, 

For  mine  adversaries  have  forgotten  Thy  words. 

140  Thy  word  is  very  pure, 

"    And  Thy  servant  loveth  it. 

141  I  am  young  and  despised : 

Yet  do  not  I  forget  Thy  precepts. 

142  Thy  righteousness  is  that  which  is  right  for  ever, 
And  Thy  law  truth. 

143  Trouble  and  anguish  have  taken  hold  on  me : 
Yet  thy  commandments  are  my  delight. 

144  Thy  testimonies  are  that  which  is  right  for  ever : 
Give  me  understanding  that  I  may  live. 

Kopli. 

145  I  call  with  the  whole  heart — answer  me ; 
Jahve,  Thy  statutes  will  I  keep ! 

14  G  When  I  cry  unto  Thee,  save  me. 

And  I  will  keep  Thy  testimonies ! 
147  Early,  even  before  the  dawning  of  the  morning,  did  I 

I  hoped  in  Thy  word.  [make  supplication  : 


PSALM  CXIX.  241 

148  IMine  eyes  anticipate  the  night-watches, 
To  meditate  on  Thy  word. 

149  Hear  my  voice  according  unto  Thy  loving-kindness  ; 
Jahve,  quicken  me  according  to  Tiiy  judgments. 

150  Tliey  draw  nigh  who  follow  after  mischief, 
Who  are  far  from  Thy  law : 

151  Thou  comest  all  the  nearer,  O  Jahve, 
And  all  Thy  commandments  are  truth. 

152  From  Thy  testimonies  I  have  known  for  a  long  time 
That  Thou  hast  founded  them  for  ever. 

Resh. 

153  Look  upon  mine  affliction,  and  deliver  me ; 
For  I  do  not  forget  Thy  law. 

154  Plead  my  cause  and  deliver  me, 
Quicken  me  according  to  Thy  word. 

155  Salvation  is  far  from  the  wicked, 
For  they  seek  not  Thy  statutes. 

156  Abundant  are  Thy  tender  mercies,  Jahve  ; 
Quicken  me  according  to  Thy  judgments. 

157  Many  are  my  persecutors  and  mine  o{)pressors; 
I  decline  not  from  Thy  testimonies. 

158  I  beheld  the  transgressors,  and  was  grieved, 
Because  they  kept  not  Thy  word. 

159  Consider  that  I  love  Tiiy  precepts  : 

Quicken  me,  Jahve,  according  to  Thy  loving-kindness. 

160  The  sum  of  Thy  word  is  truth,  [for  ever. 
And  every  one  of  the  judgments  of  Thy  righteousness  is 

Sin^  Shin. 

161  Princes  have  persecuted  me  without  a  cause, 
But  my  heart  standeth  in  awe  of  Thy  words. 

162  I  rejoice  over  Thy  word, 

As  one  that  findeth  great  spoil. 

163  Pretended  faith  I  hate,  and  I  abhor  it : 
Thy  law  do  I  love. 

164  Seven  times  a  day  do  I  praise  Thee 

Because  of  the  judgments  of  Thy  righteousness. 

165  Great  peace  have  they  who  love  Thy  law, 
And  nothing  causeth  them  to  stumble. 

VOL.  III.  16 


242  PSALM  CXIX. 

166  Jahve,  I  hope  for  Thy  salvation, 
And  do  Thy  commandments. 

167  My  soul  keepeth  Thy  testimonies, 
And  I  love  them  exceedinp;ly. 

168  I  keep  Thy  precepts  and  Thy  testimonies, 
For  all  my  ways  are  before  Thee. 

Thav  (Tav). 

169  Let  my  cry  come  up  before  Thee,  Jahve; 
Give  me  understanding  according  to  Thy  word- 

170  Let  my  supplication  come  up  before  Thee, 
Deliver  me  according  to  Thy  promise. 

171  My  lips  shall  utter  praise, 

That  Thou  dost  teach  me  Thy  statutes. 

1 72  My  tongue  doth  speak  of  Thy  word. 

For  all  Thy  commandments  are  righteousness. 

173  Let  Thy  hand  be  a  help  unto  me, 
For  I  have  chosen  Thy  precepts. 

174  I  have  longed  for  Thy  salvation,  Jahve, 
And  Thy  law  is  my  delight. 

175  Let  my  soul  live  and  praise  Thee, 
And  let  Thy  judgments  help  me. 

176  If  I  should  go  astray — as  a  lost  sheep  seek  Thy  servant, 
For  I  do  not  forget  Thy  commandments. 

To  the  Hodu  Ps.  cxviii.,  written  in  gnome-like,  wreathed  style, 
is  appended  the  throughout  gnomico-didactic  Ps.  cxix.,  consisting 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  Masoretic  verses,  or  regarded  in 
relation  to  the  strophe,  distichs,  which  according  to  the  twenty- 
two  letters  of  the  alphabet  fall  into  twenty-two  groups  (called 
by  the  old  expositors  the  o^hod^^  or  ocionarii  of  this  Psalmns 
literatus  s.  alpliahetites) ;  for  each  group  contains  eight  verses 
(distichs),  each  of  which  begins  with  the  same  consecutive 
letter  (8  x  22  =  176).  The  Latin  Psalters  (as  the  Psalterium 
Veronense,  and  originally  perhaps  all  the  old  Greek  Psalters) 
have  the  name  of  the  letter  before  each  group ;  the  Syriac  has 
the  signs  of  the  letters;  and  in  the  Complutensian  Bible,  as 
also  elsewhere,  a  ucav  line  begins  with  each  group.  The  Tal- 
mud, B.  Berachoth,  says  of  this  Psalm :  "  it  consists  of  eight 
AJcplis^'  etc. ;  the  Masora  stylos  it  N3T  xn-a  vS*3^N' ;  the  Midrash 


PSALM  CXIX.  243 

on  it  is  called  sn'3  ND^X  l^-\1J2,  and  the  Pesikta  X'JDm  {<np*D3 
'as.  In  our  German  version  it  has  the  appropriate  inscription, 
"  The  Christian's  golden  A  B  C  of  the  praise,  love,  power, 
and  use  of  the  word  of  God ;"  for  here  we  have  set  forth  in 
inexhaustible  fulness  what  the  word  of  God  is  to  a  man,  and 
how  a  man  is  to  behave  himself  in  relation  to  it.  The  Masoru 
observes  that  the  Psalm  contains  only  the  one  verse  122,  in 
which  some  reference  or  other  to  the  word  of  revelation  is  not 
found  as  in  all  the  175  others* — a  many-linked  chain  of 
synonyms  which  runs  through  the  whole  Psalm.  In  connec- 
tion with  this  ingenious  arrangement,  so  artfully  devised  and 
carried  out,  it  may  also  not  be  merely  accidental  that  the  address 
Jahve  occurs  twenty-two  times,  as  Bengel  has  observed  :  bis  et 
vicesies  pro  numero  oclonariorum. 

All  kinds  of  erroneous  views  have,  however,  been  put  forth 
concerning  this  Psalm.  Koster,  von  Gerlach,  Hengsteuberg,  and 
Hupfeld  renounce  all  attempts  to  show  that  there  is  any  accord- 
ance whatever  with  a  set  plan,  and  find  here  a  series  of  maxims 
without  any  internal  progression  and  connection.  Ewald  begins 
at  once  with  the  error,  that  we  have  before  us  the  long  prayer 
of  an  old  experienced  teacher.  But  from  vers.  9  sq.  it  is  clear 
that  the  poet  himself  is  a  "  young  man,"  a  fact  that  is  also  cor- 
roborated by  vers.  99  and  100.  The  poet  is  a  young  man,  who 
finds  himself  in  a  situation  which  is  clearly  described  :  he  is 
derided,  oppressed,  persecuted,  and  that  by  those  who  despise 
the  divine  word  (for  apostasy  encompasses  him  round  about), 
and  more  particularly  by  a  government  hostile  to  the  true  re- 
ligion, vers.  23,  46,  161.  He  is  lying  in  bonds  (ver.  61,  cf.  83), 
expecting  death  (ver.  109),  and  recognises  in  his  affliction,  it 
is  true,  God's  salutary  humbling,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  God's 
word  is  his  comfort  and  his  wisdom,  but  he  also  yearns  for 
help,  and  earnestly  prays  for  it. — The  whole  Psalm  is  a  prayer 
for  stedfastuess  in  the  midst  of  an  ungodly,  degenerate  race, 
and  in  the  midst  of  great  trouble,  which  is  heightened  by  tlie 


*  "  In  every  verse,"  this  is  the  observation  of  the  Masora  on  ver.  122, 
"  ver.  122  only  excepted,  we  find  one  of  the  ten  (pointing  to  the  ten  fun- 
damental words  or  decalogue  of  the  Sinaitic  Law)  exjirissious :  word, 
."(lyhiy,  tcitimonies,  waij,  judtjment,  precept,  commandmenl  ('iVa'))  ^""S  *'"'"'«■» 
t-ulh'"  (according  to  another  reading,  r'Kjlitcuumef's). 


244  PSALM  CXIX. 

pain  he  feels  at  tlie  prevailing  apostasy,  and  a  prayer  for  ulti- 
mate deliverance  which  rises  in  group  Kaph  to  an  urgent  lioic 
long!  If  this  sharply-defined  physiognomy  of  the  Psalm  is 
recognised,  then  the  internal  progression  will  not  fail  to  be  dis- 
cerned. 

After  the  poet  has  praised  fidelity  to  the  word  of  God 
(Aleph),  and  described  it  as  the  virtue  of  all  virtues  which  is 
of  service  to  the  young  man  and  to  which  he  devotes  himself 
(Beth),  he  prays,  in  the  midst  of  the  scofiing  and  persecuting 
persons  that  surround  him,  for  the  grace  of  enlightenment 
(Gimel),  of  strengthening  (Daleth),  of  preservation  {He),  of 
suitable  and  joyful  confession  (Vav)  ;  God's  word  is  all  his 
thought  and  pursuit  (Zajin),  he  cleaves  to  those  who  fear  God 
(Heth),  and  recognises  the  salutary  element  of  His  humbling 
(Teth),  but  is  in  need  of  comfort  (Jod)  and  sighs  :  how  long ! 
(Kaph.)  Without  the  eternal,  sure,  mighty  word  of  God  he 
would  despair  (Lamed)  ;  this  is  his  wisdom  in  difficult  circum- 
stances (Mem)  ;  he  has  sworn  fidelity  to  it,  and  maintains  his 
fidelity  as  being  one  wdio  is  persecuted  (Nun),  and  abhors  and 
despises  the  apostates  (Saj7iech).  He  is  oppressed,  but  God 
will  not  suffer  him  to  be  crushed  (Ajin)  ;  He  will  not  suffer  the 
doings  of  the  ungodly,  which  wring  from  him  floods  of  tears, 
to  prevail  over  him  (Phe) — over  him,  the  small  (still  youthful) 
and  despised  one  whom  zeal  concerning  the  prevailing  godless- 
ness  is  consuming  away  (Tsade).  Oh  that  God  would  hear 
his  crying  by  day  and  by  night  (Kop)h),  would  revive  him 
speedily  with  His  helpful  pity  (Resh) — him,  viz.,  who  being  per- 
secuted by  princes  clings  fast  to  Him  (Shin),  and  would  seek 
him  the  isolated  and  so  sorely  imperilled  sheep!  (Tav.)  This  out- 
line does  not  exhaust  the  fundamental  thoughts  of  the  separate 
ogdoades,  and  they  might  surely  be  still  more  aptly  reproduced, 
but  this  is  sufficient  to  show  that  the  Psalm  is  not  wanting  in 
coherence  and  progressive  movement,  and  that  it  is  not  an 
ideal  situation  and  mood,  but  a  situation  and  mood  based  upon 
public  relationships,  from  which  this  manifold  celebration  of 
the  divine  word,  as  a  fruit  of  its  teaching,  has  sprung. 

It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  the  composition  of  the  Psalm 
falls  in  those  times  of  the  Greek  domination  in  which  the 
government  was  hostile,  and  a  large  party  from  among  the 
Jews  themselves,  that  was  friendly  towards  the  government, 


PSALM  CXIX.  1-16.  245 

persecuted  all  decided  confessors  of  the  Toia.  Hitzig  says, 
"  It  can  be  safely  maintained  that  the  Psalm  was  written  in  the 
MaccabjEan  age  by  a  renowned  Israelite  who  was  in  imprison- 
ment under  Gentile  authorities."  It  is  at  least  probable  that 
the  plaited  work  of  so  long  a  Psalm,  which,  in  connection  with 
all  that  is  artificial  about  it,  from  beginning  to  end  gives  us 
a  glimpse  of  the  subdued  afflicted  mien  of  a  confessor,  is 
the  work  of  one  in  prison,  who  whiled  away  his  time  with 
this  plaiting  together  of  his  complaints  and  his  consolatory 
thoughts. 

Vers.  1-8.  The  eightfold  Aleph.  Blessed  are  those  who 
act  according  to  the  word  of  God  ;  the  poet  wishes  to  be  one 
of  these.  The  alphabetical  Psalm  on  the  largest  scale  begins 
appi'opriately,  not  merely  with  a  simple  (cxii.  1),  but  with  a 
twofold  ashre.  It  refers  principally  to  those  integri  vice  (vitce). 
In  ver.  3  the  description  of  those  who  are  accounted  blessed 
is  carried  further.  Perfects,  as  denoting  that  which  is  habitual, 
alternate  with  futures  used  as  presents.  In  ver.  4  '^'t^''^'7  ex- 
])resses  the  purpose  of  the  enjoining,  as  in  ver.  5  the  goal  of  the 
directing.  vD*?  (whence  vnx,  2  Kings  v.  3)  is  compounded 
of  nsi  (^vid.  supra^  i.  428)  and  y  ("'p),  and  consequently  signifies 
0  si.  On  ^33'  cf.  Prov.  iv.  26  (LXX.  KaTevOwdelrja-av).  The 
retrospective  T^5  is  expanded  anew  in  ver.  Qb  :  then,  when  I 
namely.  "  Judgments  of  Thy  righteousness"  are  the  decisions 
concerning  right  and  wrong  which  give  expression  to  and  put  in 
execution  the  righteousness  of  God.*  ^19^2  refers  to  Scripture 
in  comparison  with  history. 

Vers.  9-16.  The  eightfold  Beth.  Acting  in  accordance 
with  the  word  of  God,  a  young  man  walks  blamelessly  ;  the 
poet  desires  this,  and  supplicates  God's  gracious  assistance  in 
order  to  it.  To  purify  or  cleanse  one's  way  or  walk  (J^Sf,  cf. 
Ixxiii.  13,  Prov.  xx.  9)  signifies  to  maintain  it  pure  {%  root  1?, 


*  The  word  "  judgments"  of  our  English  autliorizcd  version  is  reUineJ 
in  the  text  as  being  the  most  convenient  word ;  it  must,  however,  be  borne 
in  mind  that  in  this  Psalm  it  belongs  to  the  "  chain  of  synonyms,"  and 
does  not  mean  God's  acts  of  judgment,  its  more  usual  meaning  in  the  Old 
Testament  Scriptures,  but  is  used  as  defined  above,  and  is  the  equivalent 
here  of  the  German  Rechte,  not  Gerichle. — Tu. 


24 G  PSALM  CXIX.  17-24. 

lJj,  to  prick,  to  strike  the  eye,  nitere ;*  vid.  Fleischer  in 
Levy's  Chalddisches  Worterbuch,  i.  424)  from  the  spotting  of 
sin,  or  to  free  it  from  it.  Ver.  96  is  the  answer  to  the  question 
in  ver.  9a ;  l^Jf?  signifies  custodiendo  semettpsum,  for  "ip'^  can 
also  signify  "  to  be  on  one's  guard"  without  iE^'^3  (Josh.  vi.  18). 
The  old  classic  (e.g.  xviii.  31)  ^^^^^^  alternates  throughout  with 
T?.^"^. ;  both  are  intended  collectively.  One  is  said  to  hide  (i?^*) 
the  word  in  one's  heart  when  one  has  it  continually  present 
with  him,  not  merely  as  an  outward  precept,  but  as  an  inward 
motive  power  in  opposition  to  selfish  action  (Job  xxiii.  12). 
In  ver.  12  the  poet  makes  his  way  through  adoration  to  peti- 
tion. WED  in  ver.  13  does  not  mean  enumeration,  but  recount- 
ing, as  in  Deut.  vi.  7.  Hiny  is  the  plural  to  ni"iy  ;  nny,  on  the 
contrary,  in  ver.  138  is  the  plural  to  nnv  :  both  are  used  of 
God's  attestation  of  Himself  and  of  His  will  in  the  word  of 
revelation.  ?y3  signifies,  according  to  ver.  162,  "  as  over" 
(short  for  ?V  ">t^>^3),  not :  as  it  were  more  than  (Olshausen)  ; 
the  3  would  only  be  troublesome  in  connection  with  this  inter- 
pretation. With  reference  to  {in,  which  has  occurred  already 
in  xliv.  13,  cxii.  3  (from  Jin,  _^^,  to  be  light,  levem),  aisance, 
ease,  opulence,  and  concrete,  goods,  property,  vid.  Fleischer  in 
Levy's  Chald.  Wdrterh.  i.  423  sq.  'T'{!>n^X,  ver.  15,  are  the  paths 
traced  out  in  the  word  of  God  ;  these  he  will  studiously  keep 
in  his  eye. 

Vers.  17-24.  The  eightfold  Gimel.  This  is  his  life's  aim  : 
he  will  do  it  under  fear  of  the  curse  of  apostasy ;  he  will  do  it 
also  though  he  suffer  persecution  on  account  of  it.  In  ver.  17 
the  expression  is  only  n^ns  as  cxviii.  19,  not  '^'^}}^).  as  in  vers.  77, 
IIG,  144:  i\\eapodosis  imper.  only  begins  with  nno^'Si,  whereas 
riTiX  is  the  good  itself  for  the  bestowment  of  which  the  poet 
prays.  ?3  in  ver.  18a  is  imper.  apoc.  Plel  for  n?3,  like  DJ  in 
Dan.  i.  12.  riisbsi  is  the  expression  for  everything  supernatural 
and  mysterious  which  is  incomprehensible  to  the  ordinary 
understanding  and  is  left  to  the  perception  of  faith.  The 
Tora  beneath  the  surface  of  its  letter  contains  an  abundance 
of  such  "  wondrous  things,"  into  which  only  eyes  from  which 


*  The  word  receives  the  meaning  of  vix.Siv  {vid.  supra,  ii.  136),  like  ^ 
and  ^»,  from  the  signification  of  outshining  =  overpowering. 


PSALM  CXIX.  25-32.  247 

God  has  removed  the  covering  of  natural  short-sighteduess 
penetrate ;  hence  the  prayer  in  ver.  18.  Upon  earth  we  have 
no  abiding  resting-place,  we  sojourn  here  as  in  a  strange  land 
(ver.  19,  xxxix.  13,  1  Chron.  xxix.  15).  Hence  the  poet  prays 
in  ver.  19  that  God  would  keep  His  commandments,  these 
rules  of  conduct  for  the  journey  of  life,  in  living  consciousness 
for  him.  Towards  this,  according  to  ver.  20,  his  longing  tends. 
D^l  {Iliph.  in  Lam.  iii.  16)  signifies  to  crush  in  pieces,  iLp-^ 
and  here,  like  the  Aramaic  0^3,  D"i3,  to  be  crushed,  broken  in 
pieces,  ^axn?  (from  ^^^^  vers.  40,  174,  a  secondary  form  of 
n3X)  states  the  bias  of  mind  in  or  at  which  the  soul  feels  itself 
thus  overpowered  even  to  being  crushed  :  it  is  crushing  from 
loncrinf:  after  God's  judiiments,   viz.   after  a  more  and   more 

O        O  JO' 

thorough  knowledge  of  them.  In  ver.  21  the  LXX.  has 
probably  caught  tlie  meaning  of  the  poet  better  than  the  point- 
ing has  done,  inasmuch  as  it  draws  iiriKaTapaToc  to  ver.  216, 
so  that  ver.  21a  consists  of  two  words,  just  like  vers.  59a,  89a; 
and  Kamphausen  also  follows  this  in  his  rendering.  For  D'''^Jn^5 
as  an  attribute  is  unpoetical,  and  as  an  accusative  of  the  predi- 
cate far-fetched  ;  whereas  it  comes  in  naturally  as  a  predicate 

before  I'^'i^'so  D^Jb'n :  cursed  ("n.Si  =  1,  detestari),  viz.  by  God. 
Instead  of  hi,  "  roll"  (from  p?3,  Josh.  v.  9),  it  is  pointed  in  ver. 
22  (7^0)  ''?,  "  uncover"  =  n?3,  as  in  ver.  18,  reproach  being  con- 
ceived of  as  a  covering  or  veil  (as  e.g.  in  Ixix.  8),  cf.  Isa.  xxii.  8 
(perhaps  also  Lam.  ii.  14,  iv.  22,  if  ?V  n?3  there  signifies  "  to 
remove  the  covering  upon  anything").  D3  in  ver.  23a,  as  in 
Jer.  xxxvi.  25,  has  the  sense  of  ''3"Q3,  etiamsi ;  and  23  in  ver 
24a  the  sense  of  nevertiieless,  o/no)?,  E\v.  §  354,  a.  On  3  "i^i: 
(recipi'ocal),  cf.  Ezek.  xxxiii.  30.  As  in  a  criminal  tribunal, 
princes  sit  and  deliberate  how  they  may  be  able  to  render  him 
harmless. 

Vers.  25-32.  The  eightfold  Daleth.  He  is  in  deep  trouble, 
and  prays  for  consolation  and  strengthening  by  means  of 
God's  word,  to  which  he  resigns  himself.  His  soul  is  fixed 
to  the  dust  (xliv.  26)  in  connection  with  such  non-recognition 
and  proscription,  and  is  incapable  of  raising  itself.  In  ver. 
256  he  implores  new  strength  and  spirits  ('Tn  as  in  Ixxi. 
20,  Ixxxv.  7)  from  God,  in  conformity  with  and  by  reason  of 
His  word.     He  has  rehearsed  his  walk  in  every  detail  to  God, 


248  PSALM  CXIX.  33-40. 

and  has  not  been  left  without  an  answer,  which  has  assured 
him  of  His  good  pleasure :  may  He  then  be  pleased  to  advance 
him  ever  further  and  further  in  the  understanding  of  His  word, 
in  order  that,  though  men  are  against  him,  he  may  nevertheless 
have  God  on  his  side,  vers.  26,  27.  The  complaint  and  request 
expressed  in  ver.  25  are  renewed  in  ver.  28.  ^^"i  refers  to  the 
soul,  which  is  as  it  were  melting  away  in  the  trickling  down  of 
tears  ;  D*ip  is  a  Piel  of  Aramaic  formation  belonging  to  the  later 
language.  In  vers.  29,  30  the  way  of  lies  or  of  treachery,  and 
the  way  of  faithfulness  or  of  perseverance  in  the  truth,  stand 
in  opposition  to  one  another.  I^n  is  construed  with  a  double 
accusative,  inasmuch  as  nnin  has  not  the  rigid  notion  of  a  fixed 
teaching,  but  of  living  empirical  instruction.  niK'  (short  for 
"^^P  '^''^j  xvi.  8)  signifies  to  put  or  set,  viz.  as  a  norma  normans 
that  stands  before  one's  eyes.  He  cleaves  to  the  testimonies  of 
God  ;  may  Jahve  not  disappoint  the  hope  which  to  him  springs 
up  out  of  them,  according  to  the  promise,  ver.  31.  He  runs, 
i.e.  walks  vigorously  and  cheerfully,  in  the  way  of  God's  com- 
mandments, for  He  has  widened  his  heart,  by  granting  and 
preserving  to  the  persecuted  one  the  joyfulness  of  confession 
and  the  confidence  of  hope. 

Vers.  33-40.  The  eightfold  He.  He  further  prays  for 
instruction  and  guidance  that  he  may  escape  the  by-paths  of 
selfishness  and  of  disavowal.  The  noun  ^py^  used  also  else- 
where as  an  accus.  adverb.^  in  the  signification  ad  extremum 
(vers.  33  and  112)  is  peculiar  to  our  poet.  nn^'X  (with  a 
Shehd  which  takes  a  colouring  in  accordance  with  the  principal 
form)  refers  back  to  ^1.'^..  In  the  petition  "  give  me  under- 
standing" (which  occurs  six  times  in  this  Psalm)  r?^  is  caus- 
ative, as  in  Job  xxxii.  8,  and  frequently  in  the  post-exilic 
writings.  PV?  (fi'om  VV?,  ahscindere,  as  KepSo^  accords  in  sound 
with  Ketpeiv)  signifies  gain  and  acquisition  by  means  of  the 
damage  which  one  does  to  his  neighbour  by  depreciating  his 
property,  by  robbery,  deceit,  and  extortion  (1  Sam.  viii.  3),  and 
as  a  name  of  a  vice,  covetousness,  and  in  general  selfishness. 
XIK*  is  that  which  is  without  real,  i.e.  without  divine,  contents 
or  intrinsic  worth, — God-opposed  teaching  and  life,     ^^nia* 


*  Heidenheim  and  Bacr  erroneously  have  ^''D"i13  with  Jod.  plural,  con- 
trary to  the  Masora. 


rsAUi  cxix.  41-18.  249 

is  a  defective  plural ;  cf.  11^%  ver.  41,  'n^^S'^'pi,  ver.  43,  and  fre- 
quently. Establishing,  in  ver.  38,  is  equivalent  to  a  realizinir 
of  tlie  divine  word  or  promise.  The  relative  clause  l^li^*"!  v  TJ'^J 
is  not  to  be  referred  to  ^"^^V?  according  to  ver.  85  (where  the 
expression  is  different),  but  to  ^0")^^  -  fulfil  to  Thy  servant 
Thy  word  or  promise,  as  that  which  (qicippe  qnce)  aims  at  men 
attaining  the  fear  of  Thee  and  increasing  therein  (cf.  cxxx.  4, 
xl.  4).  The  reproach  which  the  poet  fears  in  ver.  39  is  not 
tlie  reproach  of  confessing,  but  of  denying  God.  Accordingly 
■'i^DS'^'D  are  not  God's  judgments  [i.e.  acts  of  judgment],  but 
revealed  decisions  or  judgments :  these  are  good,  inasmuch  as 
it  is  well  with  him  who  keeps  them.  He  can  appeal  before 
God  to  the  fact  that  he  is  set  upon  the  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence of  these  with  longing  of  heart;  and  he  bases  his  request 
upon  the  fact  that  God  by  virtue  of  His  righteousness,  i.e.  the 
stringency  with  which  He  maintains  His  order  of  grace,  both 
as  to  its  promises  and  its  duties,  would  quicken  him,  who  is  at 
present  as  it  were  dead  with  sorrow  and  weariness. 

Vers.  41-48.  The  eightfold  Vav.  He  prays  for  the  grace 
of  true  and  fearlessly  joyous  confession.  The  LXX.  renders 
ver.  41a :  koI  eXdot  eV  i/xe  to  eXeo?  aov ;  but  the  Targuni 
and  Jerome  rightly  (cf.  ver.  77,  Isa.  Ixiii.  7)  have  the  plural : 
God's  proofs  of  loving-kindness  in  accordance  with  His  pro- 
mises will  put  him  in  the  position  that  he  will  not  be  obliged 
to  be  dumb  in  the  presence  of  him  who  reproaches  him  (^7.n, 

prop,  a  plucker,  cf.  (_?.->-,  a  lamb  =  a  plucker  of  leaves  or 

grass),  but  will  be  able  to  answer  him  on  the  ground  of  his 
own  experience.  The  verb  n^y,  which  in  itself  has  many 
meanings,  acquires  the  signification  "to  give  an  answer" 
through  the  word,  "i^"!,  that  is  added  (synon.  I3"i  n'-i^'n).  Ver. 
43  also  refers  to  the  duty  of  confessing  God.  The  meaning 
of  the  prayer  is,  that  God  may  not  suffer  him  to  come  to  such 
a  pass  that  he  will  be  utterly  unable  to  witness  for  the  truth  ; 
for  language  dies  away  in  the  mouth  of  him  who  is  unworthy 
of  it  before  God.  The  writer  has  no  fear  of  this  for  himself, 
for  his  hope  is  set  towards  God's  judgments  (l^f'f^:'  defective 
plural,  as  also  in  ver.  149  ;  in  proof  of  which,  compare  vers. 
156  and  175),  his  confidence  takes  its  stand  upon  them.  The 
futures  which  follow  from  vers.  44  to  48  declare  that  what  he 


250  PSALM  UXIX.  49-56. 

would  willingly  do  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  strives  to  do,  h 
to  walk  i^^rria,  in  a  broad  space  (elsewhere  3n"i?33),  therefore 
unstraitened,  which  in  this  instance  is  not  equivalent  to  happily, 
but  courageously  and  unconstrainedly,  without  allowing  myself 
to  be  intimidated,  and  said  of  inward  freedom  which  makes 
itself  known  outwardly.  In  ver.  46  the  Vulgate  renders :  Et 
loquehar  de  (in)  testimoniis  tuis  in  conspeciu  regiim  et  non  con- 
fxmdehar — the  motto  of  the  Augsburg  Confession,  to  which  it 
was  adapted  especially  in  connection  with  this  historical  inter- 
pretation of  the  tw^o  verbs,  which  does  not  correspond  to  the 
original  text.  The  lifting  up  of  the  hands  in  ver.  48  is  an 
expression  of  fervent  longing  desire,  as  in  connection  with 
prayer,  xxviii.  2,  Ixiii.  5,  cxxxiv.  2,  cxli.  2,  and  frequently. 
The  second  Tinns  n^j'N  is  open  to  the  suspicion  of  being  an 
inadvertent  repetition.  3  T?b  (synon.  3  njn)  signifies  a  still 
or  audible  meditating  that  is  absorbed  in  the  object. 

Vers.  49-56.  The  eightfold  Zajin.  God's  word  is  his 
hope  and  his  trust  amidst  all  derision ;  and  when  he  burns 
with  indignation  at  the  apostates,  God's  word  is  his  solace. 
Since  in  ver.  49  the  expression  is  not  TiHT  but  13^,  it  is  not  to 
be  interpreted  according  to  xcviii.  3,  cvi.  45,  but :  remember 
the  word  addressed  to  Thy  servant,  because  Thou  hast  made 
me  hope  {Piel  caiisat.  as  e.g.  n^J,  to  cause  to  forget,  Gen.  xli. 
51),  i.e.  hast  comforted  me  by  promising  me  a  blessed  issue, 
and  hast  directed  my  expectation  thereunto.  This  is  his  com- 
fort in  his  dejected  condition,  that  God's  promissory  declara- 
tion has  quickened  him  and  proved  its  reviving  power  in  his 
case.  In  ''^^^"'5'^  O?^"*^'!!)'  ludificantur^  it  is  implied  that  the 
C^T  are  just  Ci''V.?,  frivolous  persons,  libertines,  free-thinkers 
(Prov.  xxi.  24).  "T'DBiip,  ver.  52,  are  the  valid,  verified  decisions 
(judgments)  of  God  revealed  from  the  veriest  olden  times.  In 
the  remembrance  of  these,  which  determine  the  lot  of  a  man 
according  to  the  relation  he  holds  towards  them,  the  poet  found 
comfort.  It  can  be  rendered:  then  I  comforted  myself;  or 
according  to  a  later  usage  of  the  Hithpa. :  I  was  comforted. 
Concerning  >^^pl,  cestus,  vid.  xi.  6,  and  on  the  subject-matter, 
vers.  21,  104.  The  poet  calls  his  earthly  life  "  the  house  of 
his  pilgrimage;"  for  it  is  true  the  earth  is  man's  (cxv.  16),  but 
he  has  no  abiding  resting-place  there  (1  Chron.  xxix.  15),  his 
tb\V  ri'S  (Eccles.  xii.  5)  is  elsewhere  (yid.  supra,  ver.  19,  xxxix. 


PSALM  CXIX.  o7-72.  251 

13).  God's  statutes  are  here  his  "songs,"  which  give  him 
spiritual  refreshing,  sweeten  the  hardships  of  the  pilgrimage', 
and  measure  and  hasten  his  steps.  The  Name  of  God  has 
been  in  his  mind  hitherto,  not  merely  by  day,  but  also  by  night ; 
and  in  consequence  of  this  he  has  kept  God's  law  (niDw'SI,  as 
five  times  besides  in  this  Psalm,  cf.  iii.  6,  and  to  be  distinguished 
from  nnDC'SI,  ver.  44).  Just  this,  that  he  keeps  (observat)  God's 
precepts,  has  fallen  to  his  lot.  To  others  something  else  is 
allotted  (iv.  8),  to  him  this  one  most  needful  thing. 

Vers.  57-64.  The  eightfold  Beth.  To  understand  and  to 
keep  God's  word  is  his  portion,  the  object  of  his  incessant  pray- 
ing and  thanksgiving,  the  highest  grace  or  favour  that  can  come 
to  him.  According  to  xvi.  5,  Ixxiii.  2G,  the  words  'n  "phn  belon<: 
together.  Ver.  576  is  an  inference  drawn  from  it  (?  "I05<  as  in 
Ex.  ii.  14,  and  frequently),  and  the  existing  division  of  the 
verse  is  verified.  V?  '"'pOj  as  in  xlv.  13,  is  an  expression  of 
caressing,  flattering  entreaty ;  in  Latin,  caput  mulcere  {demid- 
cere).  His  turning  to  the  word  of  God  the  poet  describes  in 
ver.  59  as  a  result  of  a  careful  trying  of  his  actions.  After 
that  he  quickly  and  cheerfully,  ver.  60,  determined  to  keep  it 
without  any  long  deliberation  with  flesh  and  blood,  although 
the  snares  of  wicked  men  surround  him.      The  meanin(T  of 

L        •  •  • 

v3n  is  determined  according  to  ver.  110 :  the  pointing  does  not 
distinguish  so  sharply  as  one  might  have  expected  between  v3n, 
wB2va<i,  and  y^n^  snares,  bonds  {vid.  xviii.  5  sq.) ;  but  the  plural 
nowhere,  according  to  the  usage  of  the  language  as  we  now 
have  it,  signifies  bands  (companies),  from  the  singular  in  1  Sani. 
X.  5  (Biittcher,  §  800).  Thankfulness  urges  him  to  get  up  at 
midnight  (ace.  temp,  as  in  Job  xxxiv.  20)  to  prostrate  himself 
before  God  and  to  pray.  Accordingly  he  is  on  friendly  terms 
with,  he  is  closely  connected  with  (Prov.  xxviii.  24),  ail  who 
fear  God.  Out  of  the  fulness  of  the  loving-kindness  of  God, 
which  is  nowhere  unattested  upon  earth  (ver.  64a  =  xxxiii.  5), 
he  implores  for  himself  the  inward  teaching  concerning  His 
word  as  the  highest  and  most  cherished  of  mercies. 

Vers.  65-72.  The  eightfold  Jeth.  The  good  word  of  the 
gracious  God  is  the  fountain  of  all  good ;  and  it  is  learned  in 
the  way  of  lowliness.  He  reviews  his  life,  and  sees  in  every- 
thing that  has  befallen  him  the  good  and  well-meaning  ap- 
pointment of  the  God  of  salvation  in  accordance  with  tiie  plan 


252  rsALM  cxix.  73-so. 

and  order  of  salvation  of  His  word.  The  form  ^"^?y,  which  is 
the  form  out  of  pause,  is  retained  in  ver.  G5a  beside  AthnacJi, 
although  not  preceded  by  Oleioejored  (cf.  xxxv.  19,  xlviii.  11, 
Prov.  XXX.  21).  Clinging  believingly  to  the  commandments  of 
God,  he  is  able  confidently  to  pray  that  He  would  teach  him 
"good  discernment"  and  "knowledge."  QVP  is  ethically  the 
capacity  of  distinguishing  between  good  and  evil,  and  of  dis- 
covering the  latter  as  it  were  by  touch  ;  Dyt?  3113^  good  discern- 
ment, is  a  coupling  of  words  like  3?  ^^^2,  a  happy  disposition, 
cheerfulness.  God  has  brought  him  into  this  relationship  to 
His  word  by  humbling  him,  and  thus  setting  him  right  out  of 
his  having  gone  astray.  ^y?^  in  ver.  61b,  as  in  ver.  11,  is  not 
God's  utterance  conveying  a  promise,  but  imposing  a  duty. 
God  is  called  3iD  as  He  who  is  graciously  disposed  towards 
man,  and  3'po  as  He  who  acts  out  this  disposition ;  this  loving 
and  gracious  God  he  implores  to  become  his  Teacher.  In  his 
fidelity  to  God's  word  he  does  not  allow  himself  to  be  led  astray 
by  any  of  the  lies  which  the  proud  try  to  impose  upon  him 
(Bottcher),  or  better  absolutely  (cf.  Job  xiii.  4)  :  to  patch  to- 
gether over  him,  making  the  true  nature  unrecognisable  as  it 
were  by  means  of  false  plaster  or  whitewash  {^^^,  to  smear 
over,  bedaub,  as  the  Targumic,  Talmudic,  and  Syriac  show). 
If  the  heart  of  these  men,  who  by  slander  make  him  into  a 
caricature  of  himself,  is  covered  as  it  were  with  thick  fat  (a 
figure  of  insensibility  and  obduracy,  xvii.  10,  Ixxiii.  7,  Isa.  vi. 
10,  LXX.  eTvpcoOr],  Aquila  ekLTravOr],  Symmachus  ifivaXcoOrj) 
against  all  the  impressions  of  the  word  of  God,  he,  on  the 
other  hand,  has  his  delight  in  the  law  of  God  (V'^'V}^  with 
an  accusative  of  the  object,  not  of  that  Avhich  is  delighted, 
xciv.  19,  but  of  that  which  delights).  How  beneficial  has  the 
school  of  affliction  through  which  he  has  attained  to  this,  been 
to  him !  The  word  proceeding  from  the  mouth  of  God  is  now 
more  precious  to  him  than  the  greatest  earthly  riches. 

Vers.  73-80.  The  elghtfotd  Jod.  God  humbles,  but  He 
also  exalts  again  according  to  His  word ;  for  this  the  poet  prays 
in  order  that  he  may  be  a  consolatory  example  to  the  God- 
fearing, to  the  confusion  of  his  enemies.  It  is  impossible  that 
God  should  forsake  man,  who  is  His  creature,  and  deny  to  him 
that  which  makes  him  truly  happy,  viz.  the  understanding  and 
knowledge  of  His  word.     For  tiiis  spiritual  gift  the  poet  prays 


PSAI-M  CXIX.  81-S8.  253 

iu  ver.  73  (cf.  on  13o,  Deut.  xxxii.  6,  Job  x.  8,  xxxi.  15)  ;  ami 
he  wishes  in  ver.  74  tliat  all  who  fear  God  may  see  in  him  with 
joy  an  example  of  the  way  in  which  trust  in  the  word  of  God 
is  rewarded  (of.  xxxiv.  3,  xxxv.  27,  Ixix.  33,  cvii.  42,  and  other 
])assages).  He  knows  that  God's  acts  of  judgment  are  pure 
righteousness,  i.e.  are  regulated  by  God's  holiness,  out  of  which 
they  spring,  and  by  the  salvation  of  men,  at  which  they  aim  ; 
and  he  knows  that  God  has  humbled  him  n:i»X  {ciccus.  advetb. 
for  '^2^'2S3)j  being  faithful  in  His  intentions  towards  him ;  for 
it  is  just  in  the  school  of  affliction  that  one  first  learns  rightly 
to  estimate  the  worth  of  His  word,  and  comes  to  feel  its  power. 
But  trouble,  though  sweetened  by  an  insight  into  God's  salutary 
design,  is  nevertheless  always  bitter;  hence  the  well-justified 
prayer  of  ver.  76,  that  God's  mercy  may  notwithstanding  be 
bestowed  upon  him  for  his  consolation,  in  accordance  with  the 
promise  which  is  become  his  (p  as  in  ver.  49a),  His  servant's, 
nw,  ver.  78,  instead  of  being  construed  with  the  accusative  of 
the  right,  or  of  the  cause,  that  is  perverted,  is  construed  with 
the  accusative  of  the  person  upon  whom  such  perversion  of 
right,  such  oppression  by  means  of  misrepresentation,  is  in- 
flicted, as  in  Job  xix.  6,  Lam.  iii.  36.  Chajug'  reads  ''i'n^y  as 
in  ver.  61.  The  wish  expressed  in  ver.  79  is  to  be  understood 
according  to  Ixxiii.  10,  Jer.  xv.  19,  cf.  Prov.  ix.  4,  16.  If 
instead  of  ''^1'"!  (which  is  favoured  by  ver.  63),  we  read  accord- 
ing to  the  Chethib  ^Vyy  (cf.  ver.  125),  then  what  is  meant  by 
"h  urj'^  is  a  turning  towards  him  for  the  purpose  of  learning : 
may  their  knowledge  be  enriched  from  his  experience.  For 
himself,  however,  in  ver.  80  he  desires  unreserved,  faultless, 
unwavering  adherence  to  God's  word,  for  only  thus  is  he 
secure  against  being  ignominiously  undeceived. 

Vers"!  81-88.  The  eightfold  Kaph.  This  strengthening 
according  to  God's  promise  is  his  earnest  desire  ipi"^)  now, 
when  within  a  very  little  his  enemies  have  compassed  his 
ruin  (i^^?).  His  soul  and  eyes  languish  {p^'^  as  in  Ixix.  4, 
Ixxxiv.  3,  cf.  Job  xix.  27)  for  God's  salvation,  that  it  may  be 
unto  him  according  to  God's  word  or  promise,  that  this  word 
may  be  fulfilled.  In  ver.  83  ^3  is  hypothetical,  as  in  xxi.  12 
and  frequently ;  here,  as  perhaps  also  in  xxvii.  10,  in  the  sense 
of  "  although  "  (Ew.  §  362,  h).  He  does  not  suffer  anything  to 
drive  God's  word  out  of  his  mind,  although  he  is  already  bccomo 


254  PSALM  CXIX   89-96. 

like  a  leathern  bottle  blackened  and  shrivelled  up  in  the  smoke. 
The  custom  of  the  ancients  of  placing  jars  with  wine  over  the 
smoke  in  order  to  make  the  wine  prematurely  old,  i.e.  to  mello\v 
it  {vid.  Eosenmiiller),  does  not  yield  anything  towards  the 
understanding  of  this  passage :  the  skin-bottle  that  is  not  in- 
tended for  present  use  is  hung  up  on  high ;  and  the  fact  that  it 
had  to  withstand  the  upward  ascending  smoke  is  intelligible, 
notwithstanding  the  absence  of  any  mention  of  the  chimney. 
The  point  of  comparison,  in  which  we  agree  for  the  most  part 
with  Hitzig,  is  the  removal  of  him  who  in  his  dungeon  is  con- 
tinually exposed  to  the  drudgery  of  his  persecutors.  nj33  in 
ver.  84  is  equivalent  to  "how  few."  Our  life  here  below  is 
short,  so  also  is  the  period  within  which  the  divine  righteous- 
ness can  reveal  itself,  nim^  (instead  of  which  the  LXX. 
erroneously  reads  nin''b'),  pits,  is  an  old  word,  Ivii.  7.  The 
relative  clause,  ver.  85&,  describes  the  "proud"  as  being  a 
contradiction  to  the  revealed  law ;  for  there  was  no  necessity  for 
saying  that  to  dig  a  pit  for  others  is  not  in  accordance  with 
this  law.  All  God's  commandments  are  an  emanation  of  His 
faithfulness,  and  therefore  too  demand  faithfulness ;  but  it  is 
just  this  faithfulness  that  makes  the  poet  an  object  of  deadly 
hatred.  They  have  already  almost  destroyed  him  "in  the 
land."  It  is  generally  rendered  "  on  earth  ;"  but  "  in  heaven  " 
at  the  beginning  of  the  following  octouary  is  too  far  removed 
to  be  an  antithesis  to  it,  nor  does  it  sound  like  one  (cf.  on  the 
other  hand  eV  rot?  ovpavoL<;,  Matt.  v.  12).  It  is  therefore :  in 
the  land  (cf.  Iviii.  3,  Ixxiii.  9),  where  they  think  they  are  the 
only  ones  who  have  any  right  there,  they  have  almost  destroyed 
him,  without  shaking  the  constancy  of  his  faith.  But  he  stands 
in  need  of  fresh  grace  in  order  that  he  may  not,  however,  at 
last  succumb. 

Vers.  89-96.  The  eightfold  Lamed.  Eternal  and  im- 
perishable in  the  constant  verifying  of  itself  is  the  vigorous 
and  consolatory  word  of  God,  to  which  the  poet  will  ever 
cling.  It  has  heaven  as  its  standing-place,  and  therefore  it 
also  has  the  qualities  of  heaven,  and  before  all  others,  heaven- 
like stability.  Ps.  Ixxxix.  (ver.  3)  uses  similar  language  in 
reference  to  God's  faithfulness,  of  which  here  ver.  90  says  that 
it  endureth  into  all  generations.  The  earth  hath  He  creatively 
set  up,  and  it  standeth,,  viz.  as  a  practical  proof  and  as  a  scene 


PSALM  CXIX.  97-104.  JOO 

of  His  infinite,  unchangeable  faithfulness.  Heaven  and  earth 
are  not  the  subjects  of  ver.  91  (HupfelJ),  for  only  the  earth  is 
previously  mentioned;  the  reference  to  the  heavens  in  ver.  Sd 
is  of  a  very  different  character.  Hitzig  and  others  see  the 
subject  in  T'l^QCTD^  :  with  respect  to  Thy  judgments,  they  stand 
fast  unto  this  day;  but  the  T'^.'^V.  which  follows  requires  another 
meaning  to  be  assigned  to  'njpV  :  either  of  taking  up  one's  place 
ready  for  service,  or,  since  t22*J'b^  loy  is  a  current  phrase  in 
Num.  XXXV.  12,  Josh.  xx.  6,  Ezek.  xliv.  24,  of  placing  one's  self 
ready  to  obey  (Bottclier).  The  subject  of  ^Toy,  as  the  following 
?3n  shows,  is  meant  to  be  thought  of  in  the  most  general  sense  (cf. 
Job  xxxviii.  14) :  all  beings  are  God's  servants  (subjects),  and 
have  accordingly  to  be  obedient  and  lumible  before  His  judicial 
decisions — DVn,  "  even  to  this  day,"  the  poet  adds,  for  these  judi- 
cial decisions  are  those  which  are  formulated  beforehand  in  the 
Tora.  Joy  in  this  ever  sure,  all-conditioning  word  has  upheld 
the  poet  in  his  affliction,  ver.  92.  He  who  has  been  persecuted 
and  cast  down  as  it  were  to  death,  owes  his  reviving  to  it,  ver. 
93.  From  Him  whose  possession  or  property  he  is  in  faith  and 
love  he  also  further  looks  for  his  salvation,  ver.  94.  Let  evil- 
doers lie  in  wait  for  him  (^^i?  in  a  hostile  sense,  as  in  Ivi.  7,  n'^i?, 

of.  nsHj  going  back  to  nip,  ^jy^  with  the  broad  primary  signi- 
fication, to  be  tight,  firm,  strong)  to  destroy  him,  he  meditates 
on  God's  testimonies.  He  knows  from  experience  that  all 
(earthly)  perfection  (n^^n)  has  an  end  (inasmuch  as,  having 
reached  its  height,  it  changes  into  its  opposite) ;  God's  com- 
mandment (singular  as  in  Deut.  xi.  22),  on  the  contrary,  is 
exceeding  broad  (cf.  Job  xi.  9),  unlimited  in  its  duration  and 
verification. 

Vers.  97-104.  The  eightfold  Mem.  The  poet  praises  the 
practical  wisdom  which  the  word  of  God,  on  this  very  account 
so  sweet  to  him,  teaches.  God's  precious  law,  with  which  In.' 
unceasingly  occupies  himself,  makes  him  superior  in  wisdom 
(Deut.  iv.  6),  intelligence,  and  judgment  to  his  enemies,  his 
teachers,  and  the  aged  (Job  xii.  20).  There  were  therefore  at 
that  time  teachers  and  elders  (Trpea-^uTepoi,),  who  (like  the 
Hellenizing  Sadducees)  were  not  far  from  apostasy  in  their 
laxness,  and  hostilely  persecuted  the  young  and  strenuous  zealot 
for  God's  law.     The  construction  of  ver.  98a  is  like  Joc-l  i.  20, 


256  PSALM  CXIX.  105-112. 

Isa.  lix.  12,  and  frequently.  N''n  refers  to  tlie  commandments 
in  their  unity :  he  has  taken  possession  of  them  for  ever  (cf. 
ver.  Ilia).  The  Mishna  (Aboth  iv.  1)  erroneously  interprets: 
from  all  my  teachers  do  I  acquire  understanding.  All  three  IP 
in  vers.  98-100  signify  jorce  (LXX.  virep).  In  ''nsps,  ver.  101«, 
from  the  mode  of  writing  we  see  the  verb  Lamed  Aleph  passing 
over  into  the  verb  Lamed  He.  '''^Xf})^  is,  as  in  Pro  v.  iv.  11  (cf. 
Ex.  iv.  15),  a  defective  mode  of  writing  for  ''3ri''"iin.  ^^7^3,  ver. 
103a,  is  not  equivalent  to  ^^^^3,  Job  vi.  25  {vid.  Job,  i.  118,  279), 
but  signifies,  in  consequence  of  the  dative  of  the  object  ^sn?, 
that  which  easily  enters,  or  that  which  tastes  good  (LXX.  o)? 
yXvKea)  ;  therefore  surely  from  IV?  =  '^?9)  ^^  be  smooth  :  how 
smooth,  entering  easily  (Prov.  xxiii.  31),  are  Thy  words  (pro- 
mises) to  my  palate  or  taste !  The  collective  singular  '^^^?3^s  is 
construed  with  a  plural  of  the  predicate  (cf.  Ex.  i.  10).  He 
has  no  taste  for  the  God-estranged  present,  but  all  the  stronger 
taste  for  God's  promised  future.  From  God's  laws  he  acquires 
the  capacity  for  proving  the  spirits,  therefore  he  hates  every 
path  of  falsehood  (  =  ver.  128b),  i.e.  all  the  heterodox  tendencies 
which  agree  with  the  spirit  of  the  age. 

Vers.  105-112.  The  eightfold  iVmz.  The  word  of  God  is 
his  constant  guide,  to  which  he  has  entrusted  himself  for  ever. 
The  way  here  below  is  a  way  through  darkness,  and  leads  close 
past  abysses :  in  this  danger  of  falling  and  of  going  astray  the 
word  of  God  is  a  lamp  to  his  feet,  i.e.  to  his  course,  and  a  light 
to  his  path  (Prov.  vi.  23) ;  his  lamp  or  torch  and  his  sun 
That  which  he  has  sworn,  viz.  to  keep  God's  righteous  require- 
ments, he  has  also  set  up,  i.e.  brought  to  fulfilment,  but  not 
without  being  bowed  down  under  heavy  afliictions  in  confessing 
God;  wherefore  he  prays  (as  in  ver.  25)  that  God  would  revive 
him  in  accordance  with  His  word,  which  promises  life  to  those 
who  keep  it.  The  confessions  of  prayer  coming  from  the 
inmost  impulse  of  his  whole  heart,  in  which  he  owns  his  in- 
debtedness and  gives  himself  up  entirely  to  God's  mercy,  he 
calls  the  free-will  offerings  of  his  mouth  in  ver.  108  (cf.  1.  14, 
xix.  15).  He  bases  the  prayer  for  a  gracious  acceptance  of 
these  upon  the  fact  of  his  being  reduced  to  extremity.  "  To 
have  one's  soul  in  one's  hand  "  is  the  same  as  to  be  in  conscious 
peril  of  one's  life,  just  as  "  to  take  one's  soul  into  one's  hand" 
(Judg.  xii.  3,  1  Sam.  xix.  5,  xxviii.  21,  Job  xiii.  14)  is  the 


PSALM  CXIX.  113-120.  257 

same  as  to  be  ready  to  give  one's  life  for  it,  to  risk  one's  life.* 
Althougli  his  life  is  threatened  (ver.  87),  yet  he  does  not  waver 
and  depart  from  God's  word ;  he  has  taken  and  obtained  pos- 
session of  God's  testimonies  for  ever  (cf.  ver.  98) ;  they  are  his 
"heritage,"  for  which  he  willingly  gives  up  everything  else,  for 
they  (nrsn  inexactly  for  nan)  it  is  which  bless  and  entrance  him 
in  his  inmost  soul.  In  ver.  112  it  is  not  to  be  interpreted  after 
xix.  12  :  eternal  is  the  reward  (of  the  carrying  out  of  Thy 
precepts),  but  in  ver.  33  3py  is  equivalent  to  "'J'?,  and  ver.  44 
proves  that  ver.  112h  need  not  be  a  thought  that  is  complete  in 
itself. 

Vers.  113-120.  The  eightfold  Samech.  His  hope  rests 
on  God's  word,  without  allowing  itself  to  be  led  astray  by 
doubters  and  apostates.  CDV.p.  (the  form  of  nouns  which  indi- 
cate defects  or  fallings)  are  those  inwardly  divided,  halting 
between  two  opinions  (D''2J?D)j  1  Kings  xviii.  21,  who  do 
homage  partly  to  the  worship  of  Jahve,  partly  to  heathenism, 
and  therefore  are  trying  to  combine  faith  and  naturalism.  In 
contrast  to  such,  the  poet's  love,  faith,  and  hope  are  devoted 
entirely  to  the  God  of  revelation ;  and  to  all  those  who  are 
desirous  of  drawing  him  away  he  addresses  in  ver.  115  (cf.  vi. 
9)  an  indignant  "  depart."  He,  however,  stands  in  need  of 
grace  in  order  to  persevere  and  to  conquer.  For  this  he  prays 
in  vers.  116,  117.  The  i^  in  ^l^ti'O  is  the  same  as  in  |p  ^^. 
The  ah  of  -^Vf 'vl  ^^  ^^^®  intentional  ah  (Ew.  §  228,  c),  as  in  Isa. 
xli.  23.  The  statement  of  the  ground  of  the  ri'^D,  vilipendis, 
does  not  mean  :  unsuccessful  is  their  deceit  (Hengstenberg, 
Olshausen),  but  falsehood  without  the  consistency  of  truth  is 
their  self-deceptive  and  seductive  tendency.  The  LXX.  and 
Syriac  read  Dri'yi.ri,  "  their  sentiment ;"  but  this  is  an  Aramaic 
word  that  is  unintelligible  in  Hebrew,  which  the  old  translators 
have  conjured  into  the  text  only  on  account  of  an  ap[)arent 
tautology.  The  reading  ^'^''^'^  or  J^^^w'n  (Aqulla,  Symniachus, 
and  Jerome  ;  LXX.  iXoytcrdfirjv,  therefore  ""nacn)  instead  of 
ri3w'n  might  more  readily  be  justified  in  ver.  119a  ;  but  the 
former  gives  too  narrow  a  meaning,  and  the  reading  rests  on  a 
mistaklntr  of  the  construction  of  n^3w*n  with  an  accusative  of 


*  Cf.  B.  Taanith  8a  :  "The  prayer  of  a  man  is  not  answered  p  DN  N^X 
1223  VJ'iJJ  D'b'O,  J-e.  if  he  is  not  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life." 
VOL.  in.  17 


258  rsAUi  cxix.  121-128. 

the  object  and  of  the  effect :  all  the  wicked,  as  many  of  them 
as  are  on  the  earth,  dost  Thou  put  away  as  dross  (Q'i?).  Ac- 
cordingly TLDDC'O  in  ver,  120  are  God's  punitive  judgments,  or 
rather  (cf.  ver.  91)  God's  laws  (judgments)  according  to  which 
He  judges.  What  is  meant  are  sentences  of  punishment,  as 
in  Lev.  eh.  xxvi.,  Deut.  ch.  xxviii.  Of  these  the  poet  is  afraid, 
for  omnipotence  can  change  words  into  deeds  forthwith.  In 
fear  of  the  God  who  has  attested  Himself  in  Ex.  xxxiv.  7  and 
elsewhere,  his  skin  shudders  and  his  hair  stands  on  end. 

Vers.  121-128.  The  eightfold  Ajin.  In  the  present  time 
of  apostasy  and  persecution  he  keeps  all  the  more  strictly  to 
the  direction  of  the  divine  word,  and  commends  himself  to  the 
protection  and  teaching  of  God.  In  the  consciousness  of  his 
godly  behaviour  (elsewhere  always  CSK'pn  pnv,  here  in  one 
instance  P"IV1  DSB^O)  the  poet  hopes  that  God  will  surely  not 
(?2)  leave  him  to  the  arbitrary  disposal  of  his  oppressors.  This 
hope  does  not,  however,  raise  him  above  the  necessity  and  duty 
of  constant  prayer  that  Jahve  would  place  Himself  between 
him  and  his  enemies.  3"]y  seq.  ace.  signifies  to  stand  in  any 
one's  place  as  furnishing  a  guarantee,  and  in  general  as  a 
mediator.  Job  xvii.  3,  Isa.  xxxviii.  14  ;  31^27  similar  to  '^^^"?, 
Ixxxvi.  17.  Neh.  v.  19  :  in  my  behalf,  for  my  real  advan- 
tage. The  expression  of  longing  after  redemption  in  ver.  123 
sounds  like  vers.  81  sq.  "  The  word  of  Thy  righteousness"  is 
the  promise  which  proceeds  from  God's  "  righteousness,"  and 
as  surely  as  He  is  "  righteous"  cannot  remain  unfulfilled. 
The  one  chief  petition  of  the  poet,  however,  to  which  he  comes 
back  in  vers.  124  sq.,  has  reference  to  the  ever  deeper  know- 
ledge of  the  word  of  God  ;  for  this  knowledge  is  in  itself  at 
once  life  and  blessedness,  and  the  present  calls  most  urgently 
for  it.  For  the  great  multitude  (which  is  the  subject  to  1"i2[i) 
practically  and  fundamentally  break  God's  law  ;  it  is  therefore 
time  to  act  for  Jahve  {?  <^^y  as  in  Gen.  xxx.  30,  Isa.  Ixiv.  3 
[4],  Ezek.  xxix.  20),  and  just  in  order  to  this  there  is  need  of 
well-grounded,  reliable  knowledge.  Therefore  the  poet  attaches 
himself  with  all  his  love  to  God's  commandments ;  to  him  they 
are  above  gold  and  fine  gold  (xix.  11),  which  he  might  perhaps 
gain  by  a  disavowal  of  them.  Therefore  he  is  as  strict  as  he 
possibly  can  be  with  God's  word,  inasmuch  as  he  acknowledges 
and  observes  all  precepts  of  all  things  (^b  nip3"7i)),  i.e.  all 


PSALM  CXIX.  129-13G.  25D 

divine  precepts,  let  them  have  reference  to  whatsoever  they 
will,  as  D"'l^\  right  (itp',  to  declare  both  in  avowal  and  deed  to 
be  nght) ;  and  every  false  (lying)  tendency,  all  pseudo-Judaism, 
lie  hates.  It  is  true  ver.  126a  may  be  also  explained  :  it  is 
time  that  Jahve  should  act,  i.e.  interpose  judicially ;  but  this 
thought  is  foreign  to  the  context,  and  affords  no  equally  close 
union  for  ]:i'b]3;  moreover  it  ought  then  to  have  been  accented 
mn^b  nm^  nv.  On  ^3  '7.=ip3"i'3,  "  all  commands  of  every  pur- 
])ort,"  cf.  Isa.  xxix.  11,  and  more  as  to  form,  Num.  viii.  16, 
Ezek.  xliv.  30.  The  expression  is  purposely  thus  heightened  ; 
and  the  correction  imp^-^D  (Ewald,  Olshausen,  and  Hupfeld) 
is  also  superfluous,  because  the  reference  of  what  is  said  to  the 
God  of  revelation  is  self-evident  in  this  connection. 

Vers.  129-136.  The  eightfold  Phe.  The  deeper  his  de- 
j)ression  of  spirit  concerning  those  who  despise  the  word  of 
God,  the  more  ardently  does  he  yearn  after  the  light  and  food 
of  that  word.  The  testimonies  of  God  are  niN^S,  wonderful 
and  strange  (paradoxical)  things,  exalted  above  every-day  life 
and  the  common  understanding.  In  this  connection  of  the 
thoughts  On'J^'^  is  not  intended  of  careful  observance,  but  of 
attentive  contemplation  that  is  prolonged  until  a  clear  pene- 
trating understanding  of  the  matter  is  attained.  The  opening, 
disclosure  (nns,  aperfio,  with  Tsere  in  distinction  from  nns^ 
porta)  of  God's  word  giveth  light,  inasmuch  as  it  makes  the 
simple  (D^l'ns  as  in  Prov.  xxii.  o)  wise  or  sagacious;  in  con- 
nection with  which  it  is  assumed  that  it  is  God  Himself  who 
unfolds  the  mysteries  of  His  word  to  those  who  are  anxious  to 
learn.  Such  an  one,  anxious  to  learn,  is  the  poet :  he  pants 
with  open  mouth,  viz.  for  the  heavenly  fare  of  such  disclosures 
(^i'3  like  ns  ny3  in  Job  xxix.  23,  cf.  Ps.  Ixxxi.  11).  3X>  is  a 
hapaxlegomenon,  just  as  3Sn  is  also  exclusively  peculiar  to  the 
Psalm  before  us  ;  both  are  secondary  forms  of  nas*.  Love  to 
God  cannot  indeed  remain  unresponded  to.  The  experience 
of  helping  grace  is  a  right  belonging  to  those  who  love  the  God 
of  j-evelation  ;  love  in  return  for  love,  salvation  in  return  for 
the  longing  for  salvation,  is  their  prerogative.  On  the  ground 
of  this  reciprocal  relation  the  petitions  in  vens.  133-135  are  then 
put  up,  coming  bnck  at  last  to  the  one  chief  prayer  "  teach 
me."  'TJ^^*,  ver.  133,  is  not  merely  a  "  promise"  in  this  instance, 
but  the  declared  will  of  God  in  general.      p.^"^3  refers  pre- 


260  PSALM  CXIX.  1G7-114. 

eminently  to  all  sin  of  disavowal  (denying  God),  into  which 
he  might  fall  under  outward  and  inward  pressure  (P''^).  For 
he  has  round  about  him  those  who  do  not  keep  God's  law.  On 
account  of  these  apostates  (N?  ?y  as  in  Isa.  liii.  9,  equivalent 
to  X^  "lt^'^^"!?J?)  his  eyes  run  down  rivers  of  water  (T]J  as  in  Lam. 
iii.  48,  with  an  accusative  of  the  object).  His  mood  is  not  that 
of  unfeeling  self-glorying,  but  of  sorrow  like  that  of  Jeremiah, 
because  of  the  contempt  of  Jahve,  and  the  self-destruction  of 
those  who  contemn  Him. 

Vers.  137-144.  The  eightfold  Tsade.  God  rules  right- 
eously and  faithfully  according  to  His  word,  for  which  the 
poet  is  accordingly  zealous,  although  young  and  despised.  Tlie 
predicate  1^^  in  ver.  1376  precedes  its  subject  ^'^t'^''?  (Grod's 
decisions  in  word  and  in  deed)  in  the  primary  form  (after  the 
model  of  the  verbal  clause  cxxiv.  5),  just  as  in  German  [and 
English]  the  predicative  adjective  remains  undeclined.  The 
accusatives  p^^  and  n:^ox  in  ver.  138  are  not  predicative 
(Hitzig),  to  which  the  former  ("  as  righteousness") — not  the 
latter  however — is  not  suited,  but  adverbial  accusatives  (in 
righteousness,  in  faithfulness),  and  n^o  according  to  its  posi- 
tion is  subordinate  to  n:i»N1  as  a  virtual  adjective  (cf.  Isa.  xlvii. 
9)  :  the  requirements  of  the  revealed  law  proceed  from  a  dis- 
position towards  and  mode  of  dealing  with  men  which  is  strictly 
determined  by  His  holiness  (p1^),  and  beyond  measure  faith- 
fully and  honestly  designs  the  well-being  of  men  (nSD  njiDX). 
To  see  this  good  law  of  God  despised  by  his  persecutors  stirs 
the  poet  up  with  a  zeal,  which  brings  him,  from  their  side,  to 
the  brink  of  extreme  destruction  (Ixix.  10,  cf.  nnn^fj  Ixxxviii.  17). 
God's  own  utterance  is  indeed  without  spot,  and  therefore  not 
to  be  carped  at;  it  is  pure,  fire-proved,  noblest  metal  (xviii.  31, 
xii.  7),  therefore  he  loves  it,  and  does  not,  though  young 
(LXX.  vea)Tepo<i,  Vulgate  adolescentulus)  and  lightly  esteemed, 
care  for  the  remonstrances  of  his  proud  opponents  who  are  old 
and  more  learned  than  himself  (the  organization  of  ver.  141  is 
like  ver.  95,  and  frequently).  The  righteousness  ('^i^"J^*)  of  the 
God  of  revelation  becomes  eternal  righteousness  (P"3^'),  and  His 
law  remains  eternal  truth  (npi<).  T\\r{)i  is  here  the  name  of  the 
attribute  and  of  the  action  that  is  conditioned  in  accordance 
with  it ;  pn  the  name  of  the  state  that  thoroughly  accords 
with  the  idea  of  tliat  which  is  right.     So  too  in  ver.  141 :  pli' 


PSALM  CXIX.  145-160.  261 

are  Jahve's  testimonies  for  ever,  so  that  all  creatures  must  give 
illory  to  their  harmony  with  that  which  is  absolutely  right. 
To  look  ever  deeper  and  deeper  into  this  their  perfection  is  the 
growing  life  of  the  spirit.  The  poet  prays  for  tliis  vivifying 
insight. 

Vers.  145-152.  The  ei>;htfoId  Koph.  Fidelity  to  God's 
word,  and  deliverance  according  to  His  promise,  is  the  purport  of 
his  unceasing  prayer.  Even  in  the  morning  twilight  (^V'-'.)  he 
was  awake  praying.  It  is  not  ^^!}\}^  I  anticipated  the  twilight; 
nor  is  '''i'D'np,  according  to  Ixxxiv.  14,  equivalent  to  -jTiDTp,  but 
V?.^*?*^  •  •  •  *™'^P  is  the  resolution  of  the  otherwise  customary 
construction  Wt?  ^I^lp,  Jonah  iv.  2,  inasmuch  as  Q"\',p  may 
signify  "to  go  before"  (Ixviii.  26),  and  also  "to  make  haste 
(with  anything) : "  even  early  before  the  morning's  dawn  I 
cried.  Instead  of  inm^  the  Keri  (Targum,  Syriac,  Jerome) 
more  appropriately  reads  T]3"i?  after  vers.  74,  81,  114.  But 
his  eyes  also  anticipated  the  night-watches,  inasmuch  as  they 
did  not  allow  themselves  to  be  caught  not  sleeping  by  any  of 
them  at  their  beginning  (cf.  k^'^^  y.  Lam.  ii.  19).  'T^P^  is  here, 
as  in  vers.  140,  158,  and  frequently,  the  whole  word  of  God, 
whether  in  its  requirements  or  its  promises.  In  ver.  149  ^t^strbp 
is  a  defective  plural  as  in  ver.  43  (vid.  on  ver.  37),  according  to 
ver.  156,  although  according  to  ver.  132  the  singular  (LXX., 
Targum,  Jerome)  would  also  be  admissible :  what  is  meant  is 
God's  order  of  salvation,  or  His  appointments  that  relate  thereto. 
The  correlative  relation  of  vers.  150  and  151  is  rendered  natural 
by  the  position  of  the  words.  With  ^3i.P  (cf.  3'JP)  is  associated 
the  idea  of  rushing  upon  him  with  hostile  purpose,  and  with 
3i"ii5,  as  in  Ixix.  19,  Isa.  Iviii.  2,  of  hastening  to  his  succour. 
~sr  is  infamy  that  is  branded  by  the  law  :  they  go  forth  purpos- 
ing tliis,  but  God's  law  is  altogether  self-verifying  truth.  And 
the  poet  has  long  gained  the  knowledge  from  it  that  it  does  not 
aim  at  merely  temporary  recompense.  The  sophisms  of  the 
apostates  cannot  therefore  lead  him  astray.  Q^"]?'.  for  l^"|P^., 
like  non  in  ver.  111. 

Vers.  153-160.  The  eightfold  Resh.  Because  God  can- 
not suffer  those  who  are  faithful  to  His  word  to  succumb,  he 
supplicates  His  help  against  his  persecutors,  nan  is  Milra 
before  the  initial  (iialf-guttural)  Resli,  as  in  xliii.  1,  Ixxiv.  22. 
The  Lamed  of  ^'77,^5<^  is  the  Lamed  of  reference  (with  respect 


262  PSALM  CXIX.  IGl-lGS. 

to  Thine  utterance),  whether  tlie  reference  be  normative 
(=*jmoS3,  ver.  58),  as  in  Isa.  xi.  3,  or  causal,  xsv.  2,  Isa.  Iv.  5, 
Job  xlii.  5.  The  predicate  pinn,  like  "^^'1  in  ver.  137,  stands 
first  in  the  primary,  as  yet  indefinite  form.  Concerning  ver. 
1566  vid.  on  ver.  149.  At  the  sight  of  the  faithless  he  felt  a 
profound  disgust ;  noDipnsi,  pausal  aorist,  supply  Cna,  cxxxix. 
21.  It  is  all  the  same  in  the  end  whether  we  render  "li^'i^  quippc 
qui  or  siquidem.  K'Ni  in  ver.  160  signifies  the  head-number  or 
sum.  If  he  reckons  up  the  word  of  God  in  its  separate  parts 
and  as  a  whole,  truth  is  the  denominator  of  the  whole,  truth  is 
the  sum-total.  This  supplicatory  ''^'.n  is  repeated  three  times 
in  this  group.  The  nearer  it  draws  towards  its  end  the  more 
importunate  does  the  Psalm  become. 

Vers.  161-168.  The  eightfold  ^  (both  Shin  and  Sin*). 
In  the  midst  of  persecution  God's  word  was  still  his  fear,  his 
joy,  and  his  love,  the  object  of  his  thanksgiving,  and  the  ground 
of  his  hope.  Princes  persecute  him  without  adequate  caiise, 
but  his  heart  does  not  fear  before  them,  but  before  God's  words 
(the  Keri  likes  the  singular,  as  in  ver.  147),  to  deny  which  would 
be  to  him  the  greatest  possible  evil.  It  is,  however,  a  fear  that 
is  associated  with  heartfelt  joy  (ver.  111).  It  is  the  joy  of  a 
conflict  that  is  rewarded  by  rich  spoil  (Judg.  v.  30,  Isa.  ix.  2 
[3]).  Not  merely  morning  and  evening,  not  merely  three  times 
a  day  (Iv.  18),  but  seven  times  (J??^  as  in  Lev.  xxvi.  18,  Prov. 
xxiv.  16),  i.e.  ever  again  and  again,  availing  himself  of  every 
prayerful  impulse,  he  gives  thanks  to  God  for  His  word,  which 
so  righteously  decides  and  so  correctly  guides,  is  a  source  of 
transcendent  peace  to  all  who  love  it,  and  beside  which  one  is 
not  exposed  to  any  danger  of  stumbling  (^iC'nOj  LXX.  ctkuv- 
hakov,  cf.  1  John  ii.  10)  without  some  effectual  counter-working. 
In  ver.  166a  he  speaks  like  Jacob  in  Gen.  xlix.  18,  and  can 
speak  thus,  inasmuch  as  he  has  followed  earnestly  and  untir- 
ingly after  sanctification.  He  endeavours  to  keep  God's  law 
most  conscientiously,  in  proof  of  which  he  is  able  to  appeal  to 
God,  the  Omniscient  One.     irj^^  is  here  the  Zd  prcut,  where- 


*  Whilst  even  in  the  oldest  alphabetical  Pijutim  the  Sin  perhaps  repre- 
sents the  Samech  as  well,  but  never  the  Shin,  it  is  the  reverse  in  the  Biblical 
alphabetical  pieces.  Here  Sin  and  Shin  coincide,  and  Samech  is  specially 
represented. 


PSALM  CXIX.  lCO-176.  2G3 

as  in  Ixxxvi.  2  it  is  hnpcrat.     The  future  of  2r;s  is  both  -^li^ 
and  ans^j  just  as  of  Tns  both  Tnx  and  rhsx. 

Vers.  1G9-176.  The  ei<j;htfold  Tav.  May  God  answer 
this  his  suppHcation  as  He  has  heard  his  praise,  and  interest 
Himself  on  behalf  of  His  servant,  the  sheep  that  is  exposed  to 
great  danger.  The  petitions  "  give  me  understanding "  and 
"  deliver  me  "  go  hand-in-hand,  because  the  poet  is  one  who  is 
persecuted  for  the  sake  of  his  faith,  and  is  just  as  much  in  need 
of  the  fortifying  of  his  faith  as  of  deliverance  from  the  outward 
restraint  that  is  put  upon  him.  nsi  is  a  shrill  audible  prayer ; 
nsnri,  a  fervent  and  urgent  prayer.  ^}V,  prop,  to  answer,  signi- 
fies in  ver.  172  to  begin,  strike  up,  attune  (as  does  aTTOKpiveaOai 
also  sometimes).  According  to  the  rule  in  1.  23  the  poet  bases 
his  petition  for  help  upon  the  purpose  of  thankful  praise  of  God 
and  of  His  word.  Knowing  how  to  value  rightly  what  he 
possesses,  he  is  warranted  in  further  supplicating  and  hoping  for 
the  good  that  he  does  not  as  yet  possess.  The  "  salvation  "  for 
which  he  longs  (3Nri  as  in  vers.  40,  20)  is  redemption  from  the 
evil  world,  in  which  the  life  of  his  own  soul  is  imperilled.  May 
then  God's  judgments  (defective  plural,  as  in  vers.  43,  149, 
which  the  Syriac  only  takes  as  singular)  succour  him  (^^"'jJ'!, 
not  "P}^^.).  God's  hand,  ver.  173,  and  God's  word  afford  him 
succour;  the  two  are  involved  in  one  another,  the  word  is  the 
medium  of  His  hand.  After  this  relationship  of  the  poet  to 
God's  word,  which  is  attested  a  hundredfold  in  the  Psalm,  it 
may  seem  strange  that  he  can  say  of  himself  "ii?j<  !^5:'3  ''^"'V'?  '■>  and 
perhaps  the  accentuation  is  correct  when  it  does  not  allow  itself 
to  be  determined  by  Isa.  liii.  G,  but  interprets :  If  I  have  gone 
astray — seek  Thou  like  a  lost  sheep  Thy  servant.  1?i<  nc;  is  a 
sheep  that  is  lost  (cf.  0^1?^  as  an  appellation  of  the  dispersion, 
Isa.  xxvii.  13)  and  in  imminent  danger  of  total  destruction  (cf. 
xxxi.  13  with  Lev.  xxvi.  38).  In  connection  with  that  inter- 
])retation  which  is  followed  by  the  interi)unction,  ver.  ITGA  is 
also  more  easily  connected  with  what  precedes :  liis  going  astray 
is  no  apostasy  ;  his  home,  to  which  he  longs  to  return  when  ho 
has  been  betrayed  into  by-ways,  is  beside  the  Lord. 


I» 


264  PSALM  CXX -CXXXIV. 


THE   FIFTEEN    SONGS   OF   DEGREES, 
OR    GRADUAL   PSALMS. 

Ps.  CXX.-CXXXIV. 

These  songs  are  all  inscribed  rii^yrsn  Tti'.  The  LXX.,  ac- 
cording to  the  most  natural  signification  of  the  word,  renders: 
Q)Sr}  T(ov  ava^adjxbiv ;  the  Italic  and  Vulgate,  canticum  gi^admim 
(whence  the  liturgical  term  "  gradual  Psalms").  The  meaning 
at  the  same  time  remains  obscure.  When,  however,  Theodotioa 
renders  aajxa  tmv  ava/Sdcrecov,  Aquila  and  Symrnachus  a)8r}  et? 
Ta?  ava^dcret^  (as  though  it  were  absolutely  Hibyiap,  as  in  cxxi.  1), 
it  looks  even  like  an  explanation.  The  fathers,  nwre  particu- 
larly Theodoret,  and  in  general  the  Syrian  church,  associate 
with  it  the  idea  of  17  diro  BajBvXwvo^  i7rdvoBo<i.  Ewald  has 
long  advocated  this  view.  In  his  Introduction  to  Die  poetischen 
Bilcher  des  Alien  Bundes  (1839),  and  elsewhere,  he  translated 
it  "  Songs  of  the  Pilgrim  caravans"  or  "  of  the  homeward 
marches,"  and  explained  these  fifteen  Psalms  as  old  and  new 
travelling  songs  of  those  returning  from  the  Exile.  The  verb 
1^7^  certainly  is  the  usual  word  for  journeying  to  Palestine  out 
of  the  Babylonian  low  country,  as  out  of  the  country  of  the 
Egyptian  Nile  Valley.  And  the  fact  that  the  Return  from 
the  Exile  is  called  b^zip  npysn  in  Ezra  vii.  9  is  enticing.  Some 
of  these  Psalms,  as  cxxi.,  cxxiii.-cxxv.,  cxxix.,  cxxx.,  cxxxii., 
cxxxiii.,  are  also  suited  to  this  situation,  or  can  at  least  be 
adapted  to  it.  But  Ps.  cxx.,  if  it  is  to  be  referred  to  the  Exile, 
is  a  song  that  comes  out  of  the  midst  of  it ;  Ps.  cxxvi.  might, 
so  far  as  its  first  half  is  concerned,  be  a  travelling  song  of  those 
returning,  but  according  to  its  second  half  it  is  a  prayer  of 
those  who  have  returned  for  the  restoration  of  the  whole  of 
Israel,  based  upon  thanksgiving ;  and  Ps.  cxxii.  assumes  the 
existence  and  frequenting  of  the  Temple  and  of  the  holy  city, 
and  Ps.  cxxxiv.  the  full  exercise  of  the  Temple-service.  It  is 
also  inconvenient  that  "^^Vp,  which  in  itself  only  expresses  a 
journey  up,  not  a  journey  homewards,  is  without  any  closer 
definition  ;  and  more  particularly  since,  in  connection  with  this 
form  of  the  word,  the  signification  of  a  something  (a  step,  a 


rsAi.M  cxx.-cxxxiv.  2G5 

Bun-dial,  rising  thoughts,  Ezck.  xi.  5)  is  at  least  just  as  natural 
as  that  of  an  action.  ^^V^  l^  would  have  been  at  once  palp- 
able. And  what  is  meant  by  the  plural?  The  interpretation 
of  the  plural  of  the  different  caravans  or  companies  in  which 
the  exiles  returned,  assumes  a  usus  loquendi  with  which  we  aue 
altogether  unacquainted. 

Relatively  more  probable  is  the  reference  to  the  pHgrimage-  i  •^/ 
journejings  at  the  three  great  feasts, — according  to  a  later 
Hebrew  expression,  the  OvJi  l^b^y.  This  going  up  to  Jerusalem 
required  by  the  Law  is  also  usually  called  n^y.  So  Agellius 
(1606),  Herder,  Eichhorn,  Maurer,  Hengstenberg,  Keil,  and 
others,  and  so  now  even  Ewald  in  the  second  edition  (186G)  of 
the  Introduction  to  Die  Didder  des  Alien  Bitndes,  so  Kamp- 
hausen,  and  Reuss  in  his  treatise  Chants  de  Pclerinage  on  petit 
Psaiitier  des  Pelerins  du  second  temple  (in  the  Nonvelle  Peviie 
de  T/teologie,  i.  273-311),  and  Liebusch  in  the  Quedh'nburg 
Easter  Procrramm,  1866  :  "  The  pilgrim  sonizs  in  the  Fifth  Book 
of  the  Psalter."  But  n^yp  in  this  signification  is  without  pre- 
cedent ;  and  when  Hupfeld  says  in  opposition  to  this,  "  the  fact 
that  a  noun  accidentally  does  not  occur  in  the  Old  Testament 
does  not  matter,  since  here  at  any  rate  it  is  a  question  of  the 
interpretation  of  a  later  usage  of  the  language,"  we  may  reply 
that  neither  does  the  whole  range  of  the  post-biblical  Hebrew 
exhibit  any  trace  of  this  usage.  Thenius  accordingly  tries  .  O,  ] 
another  way  of  doing  justice  to  the  word.  He  understands  '  ~^^  ' 
ni?yo  of  the  different  stations,  i.e.  stages  of  the  journey  up, 
that  are  to  be  found  in  connection  with  the  festive  journeys  to 
high-lying  Jerusalem.  But  the  right  name  for  "stations" 
would  be  nii'Drp  or  nhDjJO ;  and  besides,  the  notion  borrowed 
from  the  processions  to  Blount  Calvary  is  witliout  historical 
support  in  the  religious  observances  of  Israel.  Thus,  then,  the 
needful  ground  in  lanfrnafre  and  custom  for  referring;  this  title 
of  the  Psalms  to  the  journeyings  up  to  the  feasts  is  taken  from 
under  us  ;  and  the  consideration  that  the  first  three  and  the 
last  three  songs  are  suited  to  the  hymn-book  of  a  festal  pil- 
grimage, and  that  they  all  bear  in  them,  as  Liebusch  has  de- 
monstrated, the  characteristic  features  of  the  spiritual  national 
song,  is  not  able  to  decide  the  doubtful  meaning  of  ni^yo. 

We  will   now  put  the  later  Jewish  interpretation  to  the    I  lA  ) 
proof.     According  to  Middolh  ii.  5,  Sxicca  156,  a  semj-jcircMJar 


2GG  PSALM  cxx-cxx.\r\^ 

staircase  with  fifteen  steps  led  out  of  the  court  of  the  Israelitisli 
men  (bsib'''  mry)  down  into  the  court  of  the  women  (D"'t':  mry), 
iind  upon  these  fifteen  steps,  which  correspond  to  the  fifteen 
gradual  Psalms,  the  Levites  played  musical  instruments  on  the 
evening  of  the  first  day  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  in  connec- 
tion with  the  joyful  celebration  of  the  water-drawing,*  and 
above  them  in  the  portal  (upon  the  threshold  of  the  Nicanor- 
gate  or  Agrippa-gatef)  stood  two  priests  with  trumpets.  It 
has  been  said  that  this  is  a  Talmudic  fable  invented  on  behalf 
of  the  inscription  m^yon  i'^^,  and  that  the  fifteen  steps  are  got 
out  of  Ezek.  xl.  26,  31  by  reading  the  two  verses  together. 
This  aspersion  is  founded  on  ignorance.  For  the  Talmud  does 
not  say  in  that  passage  that  the  fifteen  Psalms  have  taken  their 
name  from  the  fifteen  steps ;  it  does  not  once  say  that  these 
Psalms  in  particular  were  read  aloud  upon  the  fifteen  steps,  but 
it  only  places  the  fifteen  steps  on  a  parallel  with  the  fifteen 
Psalms ;  and,  moreover,  interprets  the  name  nibyion  T'tJ'  quite 
differently,  viz.  from  a  legend  concerning  David  and  Ahitho- 
phel,  Succa  53a,  Maccoth  11a  (differently  rendered  in  the  sec- 
tion Chelek  of  the  tractate  Sanhedrin  in  the  Jerusalem  Talmud). 
This  legend  to  which  the  Targum  inscription  relates  (vid.  Bux- 
torf,  Lex.  Talmud,  s.v.  NQp)  is  absurd  enough,  but  it  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  fifteen  steps.  It  is  not  until  a  later  period  that 
Jewish  expositors  say  that  the  fifteen  Psalms  had  their  name 
from  the  fifteen  steps. ij;  Even  Hippolytus  must  have  heard 
something  similar  when  he  says  (p.  190,  ed.  Lagarde) :  ttoXlp 
re  avTOv  elal  tlv€<;  tcov  ava/3a$/ji€)v  wSal,  top  dpiOfMov  TrevreKal- 
BeKUj  oaoL  Kal  ol  dva^ad/JLol  rov  vaov,  ru-^a  BeXovcrai  ra?  dva- 
^daei<i  irepii'^eadat  eV  tc5  i/SBofia  Kal  oyBow  dpiO^iw,  upon  which 
Hilary  relies :  esse  autem  in  templo  gradus  quindecim  historia 


*  Vid.  my  GeschicJite  der  judischen  Poesie,  S.  193  f. 

t  It  was  called  the  Nicanor-gate  in  the  Temple  of  Zerubbabel,  aud  the 
Agrippa-gate  in  the  Temple  of  Herod  :  in  both  of  them  they  ascended  to 
its  threshold  by  fifteen  steps  ;  vid.  Unruh,  Das  alte  Jerusalem  und  seine 
Bauwerke  (1861),  S.  137,  cf.  194. 

X  Lyra  in  his  Postillx,  and  Jacob  Leonitius  in  his  Hebrew  Libellitx 
effigiei  templi  Salomonis  (Amsterdam  1G50,  4to),  even  say  that  the  Levites 
sang  one  of  the  fifteen  songs  of  degrees  on  each  step.  Luther  has  again 
generalized  this  view;  for  his  rendering  "a  song  in  the  higher  choir"  ia 
intended  to  say,  ca7itores  harum  odarum  stctisse  in  loco  eminentiori  (Bakius). 


PSALM  cxx -cxxxiv.  267 

nobis  locuta  est;  viz.  15  (7  +  8)  steps  leading  ont  of  the  court 
of  tlie  priests  into  the  Holy  of  holies.  In  this,  then,  the  alle<j;ory 
in  which  the  interpretation  of  the  church  delii^hted  fur  a  lon^ 
time  seemed  naturally  at  hand,  viz.,  as  Otmar  Nachtfjal  explains, 
''  Song  of  the  steps  or  ascents,  which  indicate  the  spirit  of  those 
who  ascend  from  earthly  things  to  God."  The  Furtmaier 
Codex  in  Maihingen  accordingly  inscribes  them  "  Psalm  of 
the  first  step"  (Psabn  der  ersten  staffeln),  and  so  on.  If  we 
leave  this  sensns  anagogicus  to  itself,  then  the  title,  referred  to 
the  fifteen  steps,  would  indeed  not  be  inappropriate  in  itself 
(cf.  Graduale  or  Gradale  in  the  service  of  the  Eomish  Church), 
but  is  of  an  external  character  such  as  we  find  nowhere  else.* 

Gesenius  has  the  merit  of  having  first  discerned  the  true 
meaning  of  the  questioned  inscription,  inasmuch  as  first  in  1812       /^] 
{Hallische  Lit.  Zeitschrift,  1812,  Nr.  205),  and  frequently  since  ^ 

that  time,  he  has  taught  that  the  fifteen  songs  have  their  name 
from  their  step-like  progressive  rhythm  of  the  thoughts,  and 
that  consequently  the  name,  like  the  triolet  (roundelay)  in 
Western  poetry,  does  not  refer  to  the  liturgical  usage,  but  to 
the  technical  structure.  The  correctness  of  this  view  has  been 
duly  appraised  more  particularly  by  De  Wette,  who  adduces 
this  rhythm  of  steps  or  degrees,  too,  among  the  more  artificial 
rhythms.  The  songs  are  called  Songs  of  degrees  or  Gradual 
Psalms  as  being  songs  that  move  onward  towards  a  climax,  and 
that  by  means  of  jt^qkj]  {iirnrXoKi]),  i.e.  a  taking  up  again  of 
the  immediately  preceding  word  by  way  of  giving  intensity  to 
the  expression  ;  and  they  are  placed  together  on  account  of  this 
common  characteristic,  just  like  the  Michtam7Jiim,  which  bear 
that  name  from  a  similar  characteristic.  The  fact,  as  Liebusch 
objects,  that  there  is  no  trace  of  ni^yo  in  this  figurative  signifi- 
cation elsewhere,  is  of  no  consequence,  since  in  the  inscriptions 
of  the  Psalms  in  general  we  become  acquainted  with  a  technical 
language  which  (apart  from  a  few  echoes  in  the  Chronicles)  is 
without  example  elsewhere,  in  relation  to  poetical  and  musical 
technology.  Neither  are  we  refuted  by  the  fact  that  this  as  it 
were  climbing  movement  of  the  thoughts  which  plants  upon  a 


*  Hitzig,  in  his  Commentary  (18G5),  has  attempted  a  new  combina- 
tion of  tliese  Psalms,  in  regard  to  the  number  of  verses  of  cxx.  and  cxxi. 
(7  +  8)  and  their  total  number,  with  the  steps  of  the  Temple. 


268  rsALM  cxx. 

preceding  word,  and  thus  carries  itself  forward,  is  not  without 
example  even  outside  the  range  of  these  fifteen  songs  in  the 
Psalter  itself  {e.g.  xciii.,  xcvi.),  as  also  elsewhere  (Isa.  xvii.  12 
sq.,  xxvi.  5  sq.,  and  more  particularly  in  the  song  of  Deborah, 
Judg.  V.  3,  5,  6,  etc.),  and  that  it  is  not  always  carried  out 
in  the  same  manner  in  the  fifteen  Psalms.  It  is  quite  sufficient 
that  the  parallelism  retires  into  the  background  here  as  nowhere 
else  in  fifteen  songs  that  are  linked  together  (even  in  cxxv., 
exxvii.,  cxxviii.,  cxxxii.)  ;  and  the  onward  course  is  represented 
with  decided  preference  as  a  gradation  or  advance  step  by  step, 
that  which  follows  being  based  upon  what  goes  before,  and 
from  that  point  advancing  and  ascending  still  higher. 


PSALM    CXX. 

CRY  07  DISTRESS  WHEN  SURROUNDED  BY 
CONTENTIOUS  MEN. 

1  TO  Jahve  in  my  distress 

Do  I  cry,  and  He  answereth  me. 

2  O  Jahve,  deliver  my  soul  from  a  lying  lip, 
•  From  a  crafty  tongue  ! 

3  What  shall  He  give  to  thee,  and  what  shall  He  furtlier  give 
Tliou  crafty  tongue'?  [to  thee, 

4  Arrows  of  a  mighty  one,  sharpened, 
Together  with  coals  of  broom. 

5  Woe  is  me  that  I  sojourn  in  Meshech, 
That  I  dwell  beside  the  tents  of  Kedar! 

6  Long  enough  hath  my  soul  dwelt 
With  those  who  hate  peace. 

7  I  am  peace ;  yet  when  I  speak, 
Tlicy  are  for  war. 

This  first  song  of  degrees  attaches  itself  to  Ps.  cxix.  176. 
The  writer  of  Ps.  cxix.,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  apostasy  and 
persecution,  compares  himself  to  a  sheep  that  is  easily  lost, 


PSALM  CXX.  l-l  2G0 

which  the  shepherd  has  to  seek  and  bring  home  if  it  is  not  to 
perish ;  and  the  writer  of  Ps.  cxx.  is  also  "  as  a  slieep  in  tlic* 
midst  of  wolves."  The  period  at  which  he  lived  is  uncertain, 
and  it  is  consequently  also  uncertain  whether  he  had  to  endure 
such  endless  malignant  attacks  from  foreign  barbarians  or  from 
his  own  worldly-minded  fellow-countrymen.  E.  Tilling  has 
sought  to  establish  a  third  possible  occasion  in  his  DisquWdio 
de  ratione  inscript.  XV  Pss.  grad.  (1765).  He  derives  this 
and  the  following  songs  of  degrees  from  the  time  immediately 
succeeding  the  Keturn  from  the  Exile,  when  the  secret  and 
open  hostility  of  the  Samaritans  and  other  neighbouring  peoples 
(Nell.  ii.  10, 19,  iv*  1  [7],  vi.  1)  sought  to  keep  down  tiie  rise  of 
the  young  colony. 

Vers.  1-4.  According  to  the  pointing  '33j;'l,  the  poet  appears 
to  base  his  present  petition,  which  from  ver.  2  onwards  is  the 
substance  of  the  whole  Psalm,  upon  the  fact  of  a  previous 
answering  of  his  prayers.  For  the  petition  in  ver.  2  manifestly 
arises  out  of  his  deplorable  situation,  which  is  described  in  vers. 
5  sqq.  Nevertheless  there  are  also  other  instances  in  which 
'JJri  might  have  been  expected,  where  the  pointing  is  ^J^yil  (iii. 
5,  Jonah  ii.  3),  so  that  consequently  ^33y'l  may,  without  any 
prejudice  to  the  pointing,  be  taken  as  a  believing  expression  of 
the  result  (cf.  the  future  of  the  consequence  in  Job  ix.  16)  of 
the  present  cry  for  help.  '"'0?,Vj  according  to  the  original  signi- 
fication, is  a  form  of  the  definition  of  a  state  or  condition,  as 
in  iii.  3,  xliv.  27,  Ixiii.  8,  Jonah  ii.  10,  Hos.  viii.  7,  and  '^  ^^"^^^ 
=  ''^"^V?,  xviii.  7,  is  based  upon  the  customary  expression 
V  yi.  In  ver.  2  follows  the  petition  which  the  poet  sends  up 
to  Jahve  in  the  certainty  of  being  answered,  nvo")  beside 
|Vki6,  although  there  is  no  masc.  ''P'J  (cf.  however  the  Aramaic 
■•Q"}.  ^^"^T),  is  taken  as  an  adjective  after  the  form  "^'If'  '^t^^> 
which  it  is  also  perhaps  in  ^lic.  vi.  12.  The  parallelism  would 
make  wh  natural,  like  nnp  \\€^  in  Iii.  6 ;  the  pointing,  which 
nevertheless  disregarded  this,  will  therefore  rest  upon  tradition. 
The  apostrophe  in  ver.  3  is  addressed  to  the  crafty  tongue. 
liC'?  is  certainly  feminine  as  a  rule ;  but  whilst  the  tongue  as 
such  is  feminine,  the  n''Oi  \\\:h  of  the  address,  as  in  Iii.  6,  refers 
to  him  who  has  such  a  kind  of  tongue  (cf.  Ilitzig  on  Prov.  xii. 
27),  and  thereby  the  ^)  is  justified;   wliereas  the  rendering, 


270  PSALM  CXX.  5-7. 

"  what  does  it  bring  to  thee,  and  what  does  it  profit  tliee  ?  "  or, 
"of  what  use  to  thee  and  what  advancement  to  thee  is  the 
crafty  tongue  ? "  is  indeed  possible  so  far  as  concerns  the 
syntax  (Ges.  §  147,  e),  but  is  unlikely  as  being  ambiguous  and 
confusing  in  expression.  It  is  also  to  be  inferred  from  the 
correspondence  between  ^^  fl''p*"nDi  "^p  1^"."'"'^  and  the  formula 
of  an  oath  T?i'  nbl  D\nSN  if-r\br  nb,  1  Sam.  iii.  17,  xx.  13, 
XXV.  22,  2  Sam.  iii.  35,  Kuth'i.  17,  that  God  is  to  be  thought 
of  as  the  subject  of  ]r\^  and  ci^D'' :  "  what  will,"  or  rather,  in 
accordance  with  the  otherwise  precative  use  of  the  formula  and 
with  the  petition  that  here  precedes :  "  what  shall  Pie  (is  He 
to)  give  to  thee  (1^3  as  in  Hos.  ix.  14),  and  what  shall  He  add 
to  thee,  thou  crafty  tongue?"  The  reciprocal  relation  of  ver. 
4a  to  |n"'"nD,  and  of  ver.  Ab  with  the  superadding  Dy  to  fi^D^Tio, 
shows  that  ver.  4  is  not  now  a  characterizino;  of  the  ton";ue  that 
continues  the  apostrophe  to  it,  as  Ewald  supposes.  Conse- 
quently ver.  4  gives  the  answer  to  ver.  3  with  the  twofold 
])unishment  which  Jahve  will  cause  the  false  tongue  to  feel. 
The  question  which  the  poet,  sure  of  the  answering  of  his  cry 
for  help,  puts  to  the  false  tongue  is  designed  to  let  the  person 
addressed  hear  by  a  flight  of  sarcasm  what  he  has  to  expect. 
The  evil  tongue  is  a  sharp  sword  (Ivii.  5),  a  pointed  arrow  (Jer. 
ix.  7  [8]),  and  it  is  like  a  fire  kindled  of  hell  (Jas.  iii.  G).  The 
punishment,  too,  corresponds  to  this  its  nature  and  conduct 
(Ixiv.  4).  The  "mighty  one"  (LXX.  Svi>ar6<i)  is  God  Him- 
self, as  it  is  observed  in  B.  Erachin  Ibb  with  a  reference  to 
Isa.  xlii.  13  :  "There  is  none  mighty  but  the  Holy  One,  blessed 
is  He."  He  requites  the  evil  tongue  like  with  like.  Arrows 
and  coals  (cxl.  11)  appear  also  in  other  instances  among  His 
means  of  punishment.  It,  which  shot  piercing  arrows,  is 
pierced  by  the  sharpened  arrows  of  an  irresistibly  mighty  One ; 
it,  which  set  its  neighbour  in  a  fever  of  anguish,  must  endure 
the  lasting,  sure,  and  torturingly  consuming  heat  of  broom- 
coals.  The  LXX.  renders  it  in  a  general  sense,  cvv  rot? 
dvdpa^i   To?9   ep'q/MiKOL'i ;    Aquila,   following   Jewish    tradition, 

apKev6ivai<i ;    but  DH^,  Arabic  ^j,  ratem,  is  the  broom-shrub 

(e.g.  uncommonly  frequent  in  the  Belled). 

Vers.  5-7.     Since  arrows  and  broom-fire,  with  which  the 
evil  tongue  is  requited,  even   now  proceed   from   the  tongue 


rSALM  CXX.  j-7.  271 

itself,  the  poet  goes  on  with  the  deep  heaving  n^ix  (only  found 
here).  ^U  with  the  accusative  of  that  beside  which  one  so- 
journs, as  in  V.  5,  Isa.  xxxiii.  14,  Judg.  v.  17.  The  Mosclii 
C^P^y  the  name  of  which  the  LXX.  takes  as  an  appellative  in 
the  signification  of  long  continuance;  cf.  the  reverse  instance 
in  Isa.  Ixvi.  19  LXX.)  dwelt  between  the  Black  and  the 
Caspian  Seas,  and  it  is  impossible  to  dwell  among  them  and  the 
inhabitants  of  Kedar  (^vid.  Ixxxiii.  7)  at  one  and  the  same  time. 
Accordingly  both  these  names  of  peoples  are  to  be  understood 
emblematically,  with  Saadia,  Calvin,  Amyraldus,  and  others, 
of  homines  shniles  ejusmodi  harharis  et  fruculentis  nationihits* 
Meshech  is  reckoned  to  Magog  in  Ezek.  xxxviii.  2,  and  the 
Kedarites  are  possessed  by  the  lust  of  possession  (Gen.  xvi.  12) 
of  the  helium  omnium  contra  omnes.  Tiiese  rough  and  quarrel- 
some characters  have  surrounded  the  poet  (and  his  fellow- 
countrymen,  with  whom  he  perhaps  comprehends  himself)  too 
long  already,  nni^  abundantly  (vid.  Ixv.  10),  appears,  more 
particularly  in  2  Chron.  xxx.  17  sq.,  as  a  later  prose  word. 
The  n^,  which  throws  the  action  back  upon  the  subject,  gives  a 
pleasant,  lively  colouring  to  the  declaration,  as  in  cxxii.  3,  cxxiii. 
4.  He  on  his  part  is  peace  (cf.  Mic.  v.  4  [5],  Ps.  cix.  4,  ex.  3), 
inasmuch  as  the  love  of  peace,  willingness  to  be  at  peace,  and 
a  desire  for  peace  fill  his  soul ;  but  if  he  only  opens  his  mouth, 
they  are  for  war,  they  are  abroad  intent  on  war,  their  mood 
and  their  behaviour  become  forthwith  hostile.  Ewald  (§  3G2,  b) 
construes  it  (following  Saadia)  :  and  I — although  I  speak  peace; 
but  if  ""S  (like  IV,  cxli.  10)  might  even  have  this  position  in  the 
clause,  yet  ''31  cannot.  Oi'Pti'  is  not  on  any  account  to  be  sup- 
plied in  thought  to  131X,  as  Hitzig  suggests  (after  cxxii.  8, 
xxviii.  3,  XXXV.  20).  With  the  shrill  dissonance  of  m^Li'  and 
non^D  the  Psalm  closes  ;  and  the  cry  for  help  with  which  it 
opens  hovers  over  it,  earnestly  desiring  its  removal. 


*  If  the  Psalm  were  a  Maccabsean  Psalm,  one  might  thiuk  TjC'D,  from 
Tju'O,  avpsiv,  alluded  to  the  Syrians  or  even  to  the  Jewish  apostates  with 
reference  to  n!?"iy  Tjl^'o,  iTrn-Trciodcti  ir.v  xKoolivarUv  (1  Cor.  vii.  1^). 


272  rsALM  cxxi. 

PSALM    CXXI. 

THE  CONSOLATION  OF  DIVINE  PROTECTION. 

1  I  LIFT  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  mountains : 
Whence  shall  come  my  lielp  ? 

2  Ml/  help  Cometh  from  Jahve, 
The  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth. 

3  He  will  not  indeed  suffer  thy  foot  to  totter, 
T/iy  Keeper  loill  not  slumher. 

4  Beiiold  sltimhereth  not  and  sleepeth  not 
The  Keeper  of  Israel. 

5  Jahve  is  tliy  Keeper, 

Jahve  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand : 

6  By  day  the  sun  shall  not  smite  thee, 
And  the  moon  in  the  night. 

7  Jahve  shall  Izeep  thee  from  all  evil, 
He  shall  keep  thy  soul. 

8  Jahve  shall  keep  thy  going  out  and  thy  coming  in 
From  this  time  forth  and  for  evermore. 

This  song  of  degrees  is  the  only  one  that  is  inscribed  "i"'B' 
T\h)irh  and  not  t6^^t\  -\'^^.  The  LXX.,  Targum,  and  Jerome 
render  it  as  in  the  other  instances ;  Aquila  and  Symmachus,  on 
the  contrary,  oj8^  {a<Tp,a)  eU  rd<i  ava/3da€i<i,  as  the  Midrash  Sifii 
also  mystically  interprets  it :  Song  upon  the  steps,  upon  which 
God  leads  the  righteous  up  into  the  other  world.  Those  who 
explain  ni^J/DH  of  the  homeward  caravans  or  of  the  pilgrimages 
rightly  regard  this  ivhv^j?,  occurring  only  once,  as  favouring  their 
explanation.  But  the  Lamed  is  that  of  the  rule  or  standard. 
The  most  prominent  distinguishing  mark  of  Ps.  cxxi.  is  the 
step-like  movement  of  the  thoughts :  it  is  formed  nipyjijpj  after 
the  manner  of  steps.  The  view  that  we  have  a  pilgrim  song 
before  us  is  opposed  by  the  beginning,  which  leads  one  to  infer 
a  firmly  limited  range  of  vision,  and  therefore  a  fixed  place 
of  abode  and  far  removed  from  his  native  mountains.  The 
tetrastichic  arrancement  of  the  Psalm  is  unmistakeable. 


PSALM  CXXI.  1-4.  273 

Vers.  1-4.  Apollinaris  renders  as  meaninglessly  as  possible: 
ofifiaTU  SevSpoKo/xcov  opecov  vTrepe^erdvuacra — with  a  reproduc- 
tion of  the  misapprehended  ijpa  of  the  LXX.  Tlie  exj)ressiou 
in  fact  is  nU'n*,  and  not  '^^^'f^.  And  the  mountains  towards 
which  the  psuhnist  raises  his  eyes  are  not  any  mountains  what- 
soever. In  Ezekiel  the  designation  of  his  native  land  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  Mesopotamian  plain  is  "the  mountains  of 
Israel."  His  longing  gaze  is  directed  towards  the  district  of 
these  mountains,  they  are  his  kibla,  i.e.  the  sight-point  of  his 
prayer,  as  of  Daniel's,  ch.  vi.  11  [10].  To  render  "  from  which 
ray  help  cometh"  (Luther)  is  inadmissible.  T.^'O  is  an  inter- 
rogative even  in  Josh.  ii.  4,  where  the  question  is  an  indirect 
one.  The  poet  looks  up  to  the  mountains,  the  mountains  of 
his  native  land,  the  holy  mountains  (cxxxiii.  3,  Ixxxvii.  1,  cxxv. 
2),  when  he  longingly  asks:  whence  will  my  help  come?  and 
to  this  question  his  longing  desire  itself  returns  the  answer,  that 
his  help  comes  from  no  other  quarter  than  from  Jalive,  the 
Maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  from  Him  who  sits  enthroned 
behind  and  upon  these  mountains,  whose  helpful  power  reaches 
to  the  remotest  ends  and  corners  of  His  creation,  and  with 
(Oy)  whom  is  help,  i.e.  both  the  willingness  and  the  power  to 
help,  so  that  therefore  help  comes  from  nowhere  but  from  (IP) 
Him  alone.  In  ver.  lb  the  poet  has  propounded  a  question, 
and  in  ver.  2  replies  to  this  question  himself.  In  ver.  3  and 
further  the  answering  one  goes  on  speaking  to  the  questioner. 
The  poet  is  himself  become  objective,  and  his  Ego,  calm  in 
God,  promises  him  comfort,  by  unfolding  to  him  the  joyful 
prospects  contained  in  that  hope  in  Jahve.  The  subjective  7N 
expresses  a  negative  in  both  cases  with  an  emotional  rejection 
of  that  which  is  absolutely  impossible.  The  poet  says  to  him- 
self :  He  will,  indeed,  surely  not  abandon  thy  foot  to  the  totter- 
ing (13113?,  as  in  Ixvi.  9,  cf.  Iv.  23),  thy  Keeper  will  surely  not 
slumber;  and  then  confirms  the  assertion  that  this  shall  not 
come  to  pass  by  heightening  the  expression  in  accordance  with 
the  step-like  character  of  the  Psalm  :  Behold  tlie  Keeper  of 
Israel  slumbereth  not  and  sleepeth  not,  i.e.  He  does  not  fall  into 
slumber  from  weariness,  and  His  life  is  not  an  alternate  waking 
and  sleeping.  The  eyes  of  His  providence  are  ever  open  over 
Israel. 

Vers.  5-8.  That  which  holds  good  of  "  the  Keeper  of 
VOL.  IIL  18 


274  PSALM  CXXI.  5-8. 

Israel"  the  poet  applies  believlnirly  to  himself,  the  individual 
among  God's  people,  in  ver.  5  after  Gen.  xxviii.  15.  Jalive  is 
liis  Keeper,  He  is  his  shade  upon  his  right  hand  {'C^l']  as  in 
Judg.  XX.  16,  2  Sam.  xx.  9,  and  frequently;    the  construct 

state  instead  of  an  apposition,  cf.  e.g.     ^   i^\    ^ \\^,  the  side 

of  the  western  =  the  western  side),  which  protecting  him  and 
keeping  him  fresh  and  cool,  covers  him  from  the  sun's  burning 
heat.  -'V,  as  in  cix.  6,  ex.  5,  with  the  idea  of  an  overshadowing 
that  screens  and  spreads  itself  out  over  anything  (cf.  Num.  xiv. 
9).  To  the  figure  of  the  shadow  is  appended  the  consolation 
in  ver.  6.  nan  of  the  sun  signifies  to  smite  injuriously  (Isa. 
xlix.  10),  plants,  so  that  they  wither  (cii.  5),  and  the  head 
(Jonah  iv.  8),  so  that  symptoms  of  sun-stroke  (2  Kings  iv.  19, 
Judith  viii.  2  sq.)  appear.  The  transferring  of  the  word  to  the 
moon  is  not  zeugmatic.  Even  the  moon's  rays  may  become 
insupportable,  may  affect  the  eyes  injuriously,  and  (more  par- 
ticularly in  the  equatorial  regions)  produce  fatal  inflammation 
of  the  brain.*  From  the  hurtful  influences  of  nature  that  are 
round  about  him  the  promise  extends  in  vers.  7,  8  in  every 
direction.  Jahve,  says  the  poet  to  liimself,  will  keep  (guard) 
thee  against  all  evil,  of  whatever  kind  it  may  be  and  whence- 
soever  it  may  threaten  ;  He  will  keep  thy  soul,  and  therefore 
thy  life  both  inwardly  and  outwardly ;  He  will  keep  (~^^^,',  cf. 
on  the  other  hand  '^'^p]  in  ix.  9)  thy  going  out  and  coming 
in,  i.e.  all  thy  business  and  intercourse  of  life  (Deut.  xxviii.  6, 
and  frequently) ;  for,  as  Chrysostom  observes,  iv  TOVTOt<i  6  /3io9 
aTra?,  ev  ela-oBoii;  koI  i^6Soi<;,  therefore  :  everywhere  and  at  all 
times ;  and  that  from  this  time  forth  even  for  ever.  In  con- 
nection with  this  the  thought  is  natural,  that  the  life  of  him 
who  stands  under  the  so  universal  and  unbounded  protection 
of  eternal  love  can  suffer  no  injury. 


*  Many  expositors,  nevertheless,  understand  the  destructive  influence 
of  the  moon  meant  here  of  the  nightly  cold,  which  is  mentioned  elsewliero 
in  the  same  antithesis.  Gen.  xxxi.  40,  Jer.  xxxvi.  30.  De  Sacy  observes 
also :  On  dit  quehjiicfois  (Tun  grand  froid,  comme  d\m  grand  chaud,  qu'il 
est  hrulant.  The  Arabs  also  say  of  snow  and  of  cold  as  of  fire  :  jahik, 
it  burns. 


PSALM  CXXII,  275 

PSALM    CXXII. 

A  WELL-WISHING  GLANCE  BACK  AT  THE  riLGRIMS'  CITY. 

1  I  REJOICED  in  those  who  said  to  me  : 
"  Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  Jahve  I" 

2  Oar  feet  stood  still 

Within  thy  gates,  0  Jerusalem, 

3  Jerusalem,  thou  that  art  built  up  again 
As  a  city  which  is  compact  in  itself  ! 

4  Whither  the  tribes  went  up, 
The  tribes  of  Jah — 

A  precept  for  Israel — 

To  give  thanks  unto  the  Name  of  Jahve. 

5  For  there  were  set  thrones  for  judgment, 
Thrones  for  the  house  of  David. 

0  Wish  ye  Jerusalem  peace  : 

May  it  be  well  with  those  who  love  thee  1 

7  Peace  be  within  thy  walls, 
Prosperity  within  thy  palaces  ! 

8  For  my  brethren  and  my  friends'  sakes 
Will  I  speak  peace  concerning  thee. 

9  For  the  sake  of  the  house  of  Jahve,  our  God, 
Will  I  seek  thy  good. 

If  by  *'  the  mountains"  in  cxxi.  1  the  mountains  of  the 
Holy  Land  are  to  be  understood,  it  is  also  clear  for  what  reason 
the  collector  placed  this  Song  of  degrees,  which  begins  with 
the  expression  of  joy  at  the  pilgrimage  to  the  house  of  Jahve, 
and  therefore  to  the  holy  mountain,  immediately  after  the  pro- 
ceding  song.  By  its  peace-breathing  (qiVj*)  contents  it  also, 
however,  touches  closely  upon  Ps.  cxx.  The  puct  utters  aloud 
his  hearty  benedictory  salutation  to  the  holy  city  in  remem- 
brance of  the  delightful  time  during  which  he  sojourned  there 
as  a  visitor  at  the  feast,  and  enjoyed  its  inspiring  aspect.  If 
in  respect  of  the  "in?  the  Psalm  were  to  be  regarded  as  an  old 
Davidic  Psalm,  it  would  Ijclong  to  the  series  of  those  Psalms  of 


276  PSALM  CXXII.  1-3. 

the  time  of  the  persecution  by  Absalom,  which  cast  a  yearning 
look  back  towards  home,  the  house  of  God  (xxiii.,  xxvi.,  Iv.  15, 
Ixi.,  and  more  particularly  Ixiii.).  But  the  IM^  is  wanting  in 
the  LXX.,  Codd.  Alex,  and  Vat. ;  and  the  Cod.  Sinait.,  which 
has  Tfl  AAA,  puts  this  before  Ps.  cxxiv.,  el  firj  on  Kvpio^, 
K.T.X.,  also,  contrary  to  Codd.  Alex,  and  Vat.  Here  it  is  occa- 
sioned by  ver.  5,  but  without  any  critical  discernment.  The 
measures  adopted  by  Jeroboam  i.  show,  moreover,  that  the 
jiilgrimages  to  the  feasts  were  customary  even  in  the  time  of 
David  and  Solomon.  The  images  of  calves  in  Dan  and  Bethel, 
and  the  changing  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  to  another  month, 
were  intended  to  strengthen  the  political  rupture,  by  breaking 
up  the  religious  unity  of  the  people  and  weaning  them  from 
visiting  Jerusalem.  The  poet  of  the  Psalm  before  us,  how- 
ever, lived  much  later.  He  lived,  as  is  to  be  inferred  with 
Hupfeld  from  ver.  3,  in  the  time  of  the  post-exilic  Jerusalem 
which  rose  again  out  of  its  ruins.  Thither  he  had  been  at  one 
of  the  great  feasts,  and  here,  still  quite  full  of  the  inspiring 
memory,  he  looks  back  towards  the  holy  city ;  for,  in  spite  of 
Reuss,  Hupfeld,  and  Hitzig,  vers.  1  sq.,  so  far  as  the  style  is 
concerned,  are  manifestly  a  retrospect. 

Vers.  1-3.  The  preterite  ''^nnb'  may  signify  :  I  rejoice 
(1  Sam.  ii.  1),  just  as  much  as  :  I  rejoiced.  Here  in  compari- 
son with  ver.  2a  it  is  a  retrospect ;  for  n\"i  with  the  participle 
has  for  the  most  part  a  retrospective  signification.  Gen.  xxxix. 
22,  Deut.  ix.  22,  24,  Judg.  i.  7,  Jobl  14.  True,  vn  ninoy 
might  also  signify :  they  have  been  standing  and  still  stand  (as 
in  X.  14,  Isa.  lix.  2,  xxx.  20)  ;  but  then  why  was  it  not  more 
briefly  expressed  by  nny  (xxvi.  12)  1  The  LXX.  correctly 
renders  :  ev^^pdvdrjv  and  eo-Twre?  rjcrav.  The  poet,  now  again 
on  the  journey  homewards,  or  having  returned  home,  calls  to 
mind  the  joy  with  which  the  cry  for  setting  out,  "  Let  us  go 
up  to  the  house  of  Jahve  !"  filled  him.  When  he  and  the 
other  visitors  to  the  feast  had  reached  the  goal  of  their  pil- 
grimage, their  feet  came  to  a  stand-still,  as  if  spell-bound  by 
the  overpowering,  glorious  sight.*     Reviving  this  memory,  he 


*  So  also  Veith  in  his,  in  many  points,  beautiful  Lectures  on  twelve 
gradual  Psalms  (Vienna  1863),  S.  72,  "  Tlicy  arrested  their  steps,  in  order 


rSALM  CXXII.  4,  5.  277 

exclaims:  Jerusalem,  O  thou  who  art  built  up  agnin — true,  '"'3 
in  itself  only  signifies  "  to  build,"  but  here,  where,  if  there  is 
nothing  to  the  contrary,  a  closed  sense  is  to  be  assumed  for  the 
line  of  the  verse,  and  in  the  midst  of  songs  whicli  reflect  the 
joy  and  sorrow  of  the  post-exilic  restoration  period,  it  obtains 
the  same  meaning  as  in  cii.  17,  cxlvii.  2,  and  frequently 
(Gesenius  :  0  Hierosohjma  restituta).  The  parallel  member, 
ver.  3&,  does  not  indeed  require  this  sense,  but  is  at  least 
favourable  to  it.  Luther's  earlier  rendering,  "  as  a  city  which 
is  compacted  together,"  was  happier  than  his  later  rendering, 
"  a  city  where  they  shall  come  together,"  which  requires  a 
Niph.  or  Hithpa.  instead  of  the  passive.  l|n  signifies,  as  in 
Ex.  xxviii.  7,  to  be  joined  together,  to  be  united  into  a  whole ; 
and  1'^n*  strengthens  the  idea  of  that  which  is  harmoniously, 
perfectly,  and  snugly  closed  up  (cf.  cxxxiii.  1).  The  Kaph  of 
■>''y3  is  the  so-called  Kaph  veritatis :  Jerusalem  has  risen  again 
out  of  its  ruined  and  razed  condition,  the  breaches  and  ga])s 
are  done  away  with  (Isa.  Iviii.  12),  it  stands  there  as  a  closely 
compacted  city,  in  which  house  joins  on  to  house.  Thus  'has 
the  poet  seen  it,  and  the  recollection  fills  him  with  rapture.* 

Vers.  4,  5.  The  imposing  character  of  the  impression  was 
still  greatly  enhanced  by  the  consideration,  that  this  is  the  citv 
where  at  all  times  the  twelve  tribes  of  God's  nation  (which 
were  still  distinguished  as  its  elements  even  after  the  Exile, 
Rom.  xi.  1,  Luke  ii.  36,  Jas.  i.  1)  came  together  at  the  three 
great  feasts.  The  use  of  the  V  twice  as  equivalent  to  iti'X  is 
(as  in  Canticles)  appropriate  to  the  ornamental,  happy,  minia- 
ture-like manner  of  these  Songs  of  degrees.  In  ^'^'•y  the  D'^ 
is,  as  in  Eccles.  i.  7,  equivalent  to  nsi;',  which  on  the  other 
hand  in  ver.  5  is  no  more  than  an  emphatic  Q'^  (cf.  Ixxvi.  4, 
Ixviii.  7).  W  affirms  a  habit  (cf.  Job  i.  4)  of  the  past,  which 
extends  into  the  present,  ''^"ji^y  n'ny  is  not  an  accusative  of 
the  definition  or  destination  (Ew.  §  300,  c),  but  an  apposition 
to  the  previous  clause,  as  e.g.  in  Lev.  xxiii.  14,  21,  31  (Ilitzig), 
referring  to  the  appointment  in  Ex.  xxiii.  17,  xxxiv.  23,  Deut. 


to  give  time  to  tlie  amazement  with  which  the  sight  of  the  Temple,  the 
citadel  of  the  king,  and  the  magnificent  city  filled  them." 

*  In  synagogue  and  church  it  is  become  customary  to  interpret  ver.  .'5 
of  the  parallelism  of  the  heavenly  and  the  earthly  Jerusalem. 


278  PSALM  CXXII.  6-9. 

xvi.  16.  The  custom,  which  arose  thus,  is  confirmed  in  ver.  5 
from  the  fact,  that  Jerusalem,  the  city  of  the  one  national 
sanctuary,  was  at  the  same  time  the  city  of  the  Davidic  king- 
ship. The  phrase  ^^'■^V?  ^'^l  is  here  transferred  from  the 
judicial  persons  (cf.  xxix.  10  with  ix.  5,  Isa.  xxviii.  6),  who  sit 
in  judgment,  to  the  seats  (tlirones)  which  are  set  down  and 
stand  there  for  judgment  (cf.  cxxv.  1,  and  6p6vo<;  eKeoro,  Apoc. 
iv.  2).  The  Targum  is  thinking  of  seats  in  the  Temple,  viz. 
the  raised  (in  the  second  Temple  resting  upon  pillars)  seat  of 
the  king  in  the  court  of  the  Israelitish  men  near  the  JV^'yn  lyC', 
but  CEt^ob  points  to  the  palace,  1  Kings  vii.  7.  In  the  flourish- 
ing age  of  the  Davidic  kingship  this  was  also  the  highest  court 
of  judgment  of  the  land ;  the  king  was  the  chief  judge  (2  Sam. 
XV.  2,  1  Kings  iii.  16),  and  the  sons,  brothers,  or  kinsmen  of 
the  king  were  his  assessors  and  advisers.  In  the  time  of  the 
poet  it  is  different ;  but  the  attractiveness  of  Jerusalem,  not 
only  as  the  city  of  Jahve,  but  also  as  the  city  of  David,  remains 
the  same  for  all  times. 

Vers.  6-9.  When  the  poet  thus  calls  up  the  picture  of  his 
country's  "city  of  peace"  before  his  mind,  the  picture  of  the 
glory  which  it  still  ever  possesses,  and  of  the  gi-eater  glory  which 
it  had  formerly,  he  spreads  out  his  hands  over  it  in  the  distance, 
blessing  it  in  the  kindling  of  his  love,  and  calls  upon  all  his 
fellow-countrymen  round  about  and  in  all  places :  apprecamini 
salutem  Hierosolymis.  So  Gesenius  correctly  {Thesaurus,  p. 
\347) ;  for  just  as  DiPt'p  \b  PNK'  signifies  to  inquire  after  any 
one's  well-being,  and  to  greet  him  with  the  question :  ^^  2^''^'!! 
(Jer.  XV.  5),  so  Di7K^  b^'f  signifies  to  find  out  any  one's  pro- 
sperity by  asking,  to  gladly  know  and  gladly  see  that  it  is  well 
with  him,  and  therefore  to  be  animated  by  the  wish  that  he 
may  prosper ;  Syriac,  *1  ^'d?^  b^'&  directly :  to  salute  any  one  ; 
for  the  interrogatory  ^^  I^ip^'n  and  the  well-wishing  'i\>  ub^, 
elprjvr}  <joi  (Luke  x.  5,  John  xx.  19  sqq.),  have  both  of  them 
the  same  source  and  meaning.  The  reading  ^lyi^^,  commended 
by  Ewald,  is  a  recollection  of  Job  xii.  6  that  is  violently  brought 
in  here.  The  loving  ones  are  comprehended  with  the  beloved 
one,  the  children  with  the  mother,  nbti'  forms  an  alliteration 
with  DvC';  the  emphatic  form  ^Y^\  occurs  even  in  other  in- 
stances out  of  pause  {e.g.  Ivii.  2).  In  ver.  7  the  alliteration  of 
Di/^  and  •ipK'  is  again  taken  up,  and  both  accord  with  the  name 


rsALM  cx.xiii.  279 

of  Jerusalem.  Ad  eleyantkvn  facit,  as  Venema  observes,  ^j-cr- 
petiia  vocum  ad  se  invicem  et  omnium  ad  nomen  Hierosolyma' 
nlliteratio.  Both  together  mark  tlie  Song  of  degrees  as  such. 
Happiness,  cries  out  the  poet  to  the  holy  city  from  afar,  be 
within  thy  bulwarks,  prosperity  within  thy  palaces,  i.e.  without 
and  within,  ^'n^  ramparts,  circumvallation  (from  Sn,  to  sur- 
round, Arabic   Jj^-,  round   about,  equally  correct   whether 

written  7^n  or  ^n)^  and  ni20"is  as  the  parallel  word,  as  in  xlviii. 
14.  The  twofold  motive  of  such  an  earnest  wish  for  peace  is 
love  for  the  brethren  and  love  for  the  house  of  God.  For  the 
sake  of  the  brethren  is  he  cheerfully  resolved  to  speak  peace 
{to,  Trpo^  elp't]VT}v  avT7]<i,  Luke  xix.  42)  concerning  (3  ■>2'^,  as  in 
Ixxxvii.  3,  Deut.  vi.  7,  LXX.  irepl  aov;  of.  Di^y'  ^3"i  with  % 
and  b,  to  speak  peace  to,  Ixxxv.  9,  Esth.  x.  3)  Jerusalem,  for 
the  sake  of  the  house  of  Jahve  will  he  strive  after  good  (i.e. 
that  which  tends  to  her  well-being)  to  her  (like  p  i^y\^  ki'i53  in 
Neh.  ii.  10,  cf.  n\h'f  Kn^,  Deut.  xxhi.  7  [6],  Jer.  xxix.  7).  For 
although  he  is  now  again  far  from  Jerusalem  after  the  visit 
that  is  over,  he  still  remains  united  in  love  to  the  holy  city  as 
being  the  goal  of  his  longing,  and  to  those  who  dwell  there  as 
being  his  brethren  and  friends.  Jerusalem  is  and  will  remain 
the  heart  of  all  Israel  as  surely  as  Jahve,  who  has  His  house 
there,  is  the  God  of  all  Israel. 


PSALM    CXXIIL 

UPWARD  GLANCE  TO  TUE  LOED  IN  TI3IES  OF  CONTEMPT. 

1  TO  Thee  do  I  lift  up  mine  eyes, 

Thou  who  art  enthroned  in  the-  heavens! 

2  Behold,  as  the  eyes  of  servants 

unto  the  hand  of  their  master. 
As  the  eyes  of  a  maid  unto  the  hand 

of  her  mistress: 
So  our  eyes  are  unto  Jahve  our  God, 

until  He  be  gracious  unto  us. 

3  Be  (jracions  unto  us,  Jahve,  he  gracious  unto  us, 

for  of  contempt  are  we  fall  enowjh. 


283  PSALM  CXXIII.  1-4. 

4  Full  enough  is  our  soul 

With  the  scorn  of  the  haughty, 

the  contempt  of  despots. 

This  Psalm  is  joined  to  the  preceding  Psalm  by  the  com- 
munity of  the  divine  name  Jahve  our  God.  Alsted  (died  16B8) 
gives  it  the  brief,  ingenious  inscription  oculus  sperans.  It  is 
an  upward  glance  of  waiting  faith  to  Jahve  under  tyrannical 
oppression.  The  fact  that  this  Psalm  appears  in  a  rhyming 
form,  "as  scarcely  any  other  piece  in  the  Old  Testament" 
(Reuss),  conies  only  from  those  inflexional  rhymes  which 
creep  in  of  themselves  in  the  tephilla  style. 

Vers.  1,  2.  The  destinies  of  all  men,  and  in  particular  of 
the  church,  are  in  the  hand  of  the  King  who  sits  enthroned  in 
the  unapproachable  glory  of  the  heavens  and  rules  over  all 
things,  and  of  the  Judge  who  decides  all  things.  Up  to  Him 
the  poet  raises  his  eyes,  and  to  Him  the  church,  together  with 
which  he  may  call  Him  "  Jahve  our  God,"  just  as  the  eyes  of 
servants  are  directed  towards  the  hand  of  their  lord,  the  eyes 
of  a  maid  towards  the  hand  of  her  mistress;  for  this  hand 
regulates  the  whole  house,  and  they  wait  upon  their  winks  and 
signs  with  most  eager  attention.  Those  of  Israel  are  Jahve's 
servants,  Israel  the  church  is  Jahve's  maid.  In  His  hand  lies 
its  future.  At  length  He  will  take  compassion  on  His  own. 
Therefore  its  longing  gaze  goes  forth  towards  Him,  without 
being  wearied,  until  He  shall  graciously  turn  its  distress. 
With  reference  to  the  i  of  ''^t^''!',  vid.  on  cxiii.,  cxiv.  Cin''jnx 
is  their  common  lord ;  for  since  in  the  antitype  the  sovereign 
Lord  is  meant,  it  will  be  conceived  of  a.?,  plur.  excellentice,  just 
as  in  general  it  occurs  only  rarely  (Gen.  xix.  2,  18,  Jer.  xxvii.  4) 
as  an  actual  plural. 

Vers.  3,  4.  The  second  strophe  takes  up  the  "  be  gracious 
unto  us"  as  it  were  in  echo.  It  begins  with  a  Kyrie  eleison, 
which  is  confirmed  in.  a  crescendo  manner  after  the  form  of 
steps.  The  church  is  already  abundantly  satiated  with  igno- 
miny. 31  is  an  abstract  "  much,"  and  ri2i  (cf.  Ixv.  10,  cxx.  G) 
is  concrete,  "  a  great  measure,"  like  ^f],  Ixii.  3,  sometiiing 
great  (yid.  Bottchcr,  Lehrhuch^  §  624).  Tiie  subjectivizing, 
intensive  ^  accords  with  cxx.  G — probably  an  indication  of 


PSALM  CXXIV.  281 

one  and  the  same  author.  113  is  strengthened  by  iV?,  like  '2  m 
Ezek.  xxxvi.  4.  The  article  of  3y?n  is  retrospectively  demon- 
strative: full  of  such  scorn  of  the  haughty  (E\v.  §  290,  d). 
Ti2n  is  also  retrospectively  demonstrative ;  but  since  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  article  for  tlie  fourth  time  would  have  been  inele- 
gant, the  poet  here  says  D'-avSji'  with  the  Lamed,  which  serves 
as  a  circumlocution  of  the  genitive.  The  Masora  reckons  this 
word  among  the  fifteen  "  words  that  are  written  as  one  and  are 
to  be  read  as  two."  The  Kert  runs  viz.  C'JV  ''XJp,  snperhis 
oppressorum  (^''^V,  part.  Kal,  like  n:i'n  Zeph.  iii.  1,  and  fre- 
quently). But  apart  from  the  consideration  that  instead  of 
''N3,  from  the  unknown  nS3,  it  might  more  readily  be  pointed 
^J{3,  from  nxa  (a  form  of  nouns  indicating  defects,  contracted 
X3),  this  genitival  construction  appears  to  be  far-fetched,  and, 
inasmuch  as  it  makes  a  distinction  among  the  oppressors,  inap- 
propriate. The  poet  surely  meant  Q"'?^??^?  or  D"'ji''Xap.  This 
word  i^xa  (after  the  form  |Vyi,  P'?^,  Py.V)  is  perhaps  an  inten- 
tional new  formation  of  the  poet.  Saadia  interprets  it  after 
the  Talmudic  p^Jp,  legio ;  but  how  could  one  expect  to  find  such 
a  Grecized  Latin  word  (Xeyecov)  in  the  Psalter !  Dunash  ben- 
Labrat  (about  960)  regards  □'•iVXJ  as  a  compound  word  in  the 
signification  of  CJi'n  D'NJn.  In  fact  the  poet  may  have  chosen 
the  otherwise  unused  adjectival  form  C"':rx3  because  it  reminds 
one  of  D'^r^  although  it  is  not  a  compound  word  like  Q'^i'^^..  If 
tiie  Psalm  is  a  Maccabasan  Psalm,  it  is  natural  to  find  in  D'iVXji' 
an  allusion  to  the  despotic  domination  of  the  DW. 


PSALM    CXXIV. 

THE  DELIVERER  FROM  DEATH  IN  WATERS  AND  IN  A  SNARE. 

1  HAD  not  Jahve  been  for  tis. 
Let  Israel  say — 

2  Had  not  Jahve  been  for  us, 
When  men  rose  up  against  us : 

3  Then  had  they  swallowed  us  up  alive, 
"When  their  anger  was  kindled  against  us— 

4  Then  had  the  xcaters  overwhelmed  us, 
The  stream  had  gone  over  our  soid — 


282  PSALM  CXXIV.  1-5. 

5  Tliea  had  (jone  over  our  soul 
The  proudly  swelling  waters. 

6  Blessed  be  Jahve,  who  hath  not  abandoned  us 
A  prey  to  their  teeth  ! 

7  Our  soul,  hke  a  bird  hath  it  escaped 
Out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowlers: 
The  snare  was  broken 

And  we — we  escaped. 

8  Our  help  is  in  the  Name  of  Jalive, 
The  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth. 

The  statement  "  the  stream  had  gone  over  our  soul"  of 
this  f]fth  Song  of  degrees,  coincides  with  the  statement  ''our 
soul  is  full  enough"  of  the  fourth ;  the  two  Psalms  also  meet 
in  the  synonymous  new  formations  ^''^^''^a  and  2"';^''?,  which 
also  look  very  much  as  though  they  were  formed  in  allusion 
to  cotemporary  history.  The  in?  is  M^anting  in  the  LXX., 
Codd.  Alex,  and  Vat.,  here  as  in  Ps.  cxxii.,  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Targum  is  wanting  in  general  in  the  ancient  ver- 
sions, and  therefore  is  not  so  much  as  established  as  a  point  of 
textual  criticism.  It  is  a  Psalm  in  the  manner  of  the  Davidic 
Psalms,  to  which  it  is  closely  allied  in  the  metaphors  of  the 
overwhelming  waters,  xviii.  5,  17  (cf.  cxliv.  7),  Ixix.  2  sq.,  and 
of  the  little  bird;  cf.  also  on  W  xxvii.  13,  on  D*]^  used  of 
hostile  men  Ivi.  12,  on  D^^n  J?.^z  Iv.  16,  on  'n  -j^a  xxviii.  6, 
xxxi.  22.  This  beautiful  song  makes  its  modern  origin  knov.'n 
by  its  Aramaizing  character,  and  by  the  delight,  after  the 
manner  of  the  later  poetry,  in  all  kinds  of  embellishments  of 
language.  The  art  of  the  form  consists  less  in  strophic  sym- 
metry than  in  this,  that  in  order  to  take  one  step  forward  it 
always  goes  back  half  a  step.  Luther's  imitation  (1524), 
"Were  God  not  with  us  at  this  time"  {Wiire  Gott  nicht  mit 
uns  diese  Zeit),  bears  the  inscription  "  The  true  believers'  safe- 
guard." 

Vers.  1-5.  It  is  commonly  rendered,  "  If  it  had  not  been 
Jahve  who  was  for  us."  But,  notwithstanding  the  subject  that 
is  placed  first  (cf.  Gen.  xxiii.  13),  the  ^  belongs  to  the  yp; 


rsALM  cxxiv.  c-8.  283 

since  in  the  Aramaizing  Hebrew  (of.  on  the  other  hand  Geu. 

xxxi.  42)  tf'  vv  (cf.  ^\  ^j!)  signifies  nisi  (prop,  nisi  quod),  as 
in  the  Aramaic  ("=i)  f  O^""^)  ^1?,  o  si  (prop,  o  si  quod).  Tlie  ^fx, 
pecuHar  to  this  Psahn  in  the  Old  Testament,  instead  of  IX 

follows  the  model  of  the  dialectic  H^,,  LM,  ^y-^Ol  (PTr",  H.^)- 

In  order  to  begin  the  apodosis  of  ''b'V  (N7^p)  emphatically  the 
older  language  makes  use  of  the  confirmatory  '3,  Gen.  xxxi. 
42,  xliii.  10;  here  we  have  ''TX  (well  rendered  by  the  LXX. 
apa)j  as  in  cxix.  92.  The  Lamed  of  w  iTn  is  raphe  in  both 
instances,  according  to  the  rule  discussed  above,  vol.  ii.  145. 
When  men  {^']^)  rose  up  against  Israel  and  their  anger  was 
kindled  against  them,  they  who  were  feeble  in  themselves  over 
against  the  hostile  world  would  have  been  swallowed  up  alive 
if  they  had  not  had  Jahve  for  them,  if  they  had  not  had  Him 
on  their  side.  This  "swallowing  up  alive"  is  said  elsewhere \ 
of  Hades,  which  suddenly  and  forcibly  snatches  away  its 
victims,  Iv.  16,  Prov.  i.  12;  here,  however,  as  ver.  6  shows,  it 
is  said  of  the  enemies,  who  are  represented  as  wild  beasts.  In\ 
ver.  4  the  hostile  power  which  rolls  over  them  is  likened  to  an 
overflowing  stream,  as  in  Isa.  viii.  7  sq.,  the  Assyrian.  nSnjj  a 
stream  or  river,  is  Ililel ;  it  is  first  of  all  accusative :  towards 
the  stream  (Num.  xxxiv.  5) ;  then,  however,  it  is  also  used  as  a 
nominative,  like  nb^p^  '^^I'l?'!?,  and  the  like  (cf.  common  Greek 
i)  vv-)(6a,  Tj  veoTTjra)  ;  so  that  nn—  is  related  to  0—  (n— )  as  n:— ^ 
io—  to  |—  and  D—  (Bottcher,  §  015).  These  latest  Psalms  are  \ 
fond  of  such  embellishments  by  means  of  adorned  forms  and 
Aramaic  or  Aramaizing  words.  Q'^i"'^  is  a  word  which  is 
indeed  not  unhebraic  in  its  formation,  but  is  more  indigenous 
to  Chaldee ;  it  is  the  Targum  word  for  Q''*!?.  in  Ixxxvi.  14,  cxix. 
51,  78  (also  in  liv.  5  for  D'll),  although  according  to  Levy  the 
Jiss.  do  not  present  p^T'T  but  p^'T.  In  the  passage  before  us 
the  Targum  renders:  the  king  who  is  like  to  the  proud  waters 
(S^3n7  'nop)  of  the  sea  (Antiochus  Epiphancs? — A  scholium 
explains  ol  vTrepi']^avot).  With  reference  to  "i^y  before  a  plural 
subject,  vid.  Ges.  §  147. 

Vers.  6-8.  After  the  fact  of  the  divine  succour  has  been 
expressed,  in  ver.  6  follows  the  thanksgiving  for  it,  and  in  ver. 
7  the  joyful  shout  of  the  rescued  one.     In  ver.  6  the  enemies 


284  PSALM  cxxv. 

are  conceived  of  as  beasts  of  prey  on  account  of  their  blood- 
thirstiness,  just  as  the  worldly  empires  are  in  the  Book  of 
Daniel;  in  ver.  7  as  "fowlers"  on  account  of  their  cunning. 
According  to  the  punctuation  it  is  not  to  be  rendered :  Our 
soul  is  like  a  bird  that  is  escaped,  in  which  case  it  would  have 

been  accented  niDi.*3  ir^'DJ,  but :  our  soul  (subject  with  Rehia 

magnum)  is  as  a  bird  (113V3  as  in  Hos.  xi.  11,  Prov.  xxiii.  32, 
Job  xiv.  2,  instead  of  the  syntactically  more  usual  l1S2r3)  escaped 
out  of  the  snare  of  him  who  lays  snares  (ti'pi'',  elsewhere  *ki'ip^, 
ti'>p;,  a  fowler,  xci.  3).  ^^K^J  (with  a  beside  Rehia)  is  M  prcet. : 
the  snare  was  burst,  and  we — we  became  free.  In  ver.  8  (cf. 
cxxi.  2,  cxxxiv.  3)  the  universal,  and  here  pertinent  thought, 
viz.  the  help  of  Israel  is  in  the  name  of  Jahve,  the  Creator 
of  the  world,  i.e.  in  Him  who  is  manifest  as  such  and  is 
continually  verifying  Himself,  forms  the  epiphonematic  close. 
Whether  the  power  of  the  world  seeks  to  make  the  church  of 
Jahve  like  to  itself  or  to  annihilate  it,  it  is  not  a  disavowal  of 
its  God,  but  a  faithful  confession,  stedfast  even  to  death,  that 
leads  to  its  deliverance. 


PSALM    CXXV. 

Israel's  bulwark  against  temrtatiox  to  apostasy 

1  THEY  who  trust  in  Jahve  are  as  Mount  Zion, 
Which  doth  not  totter,  it  standeth  fast /or  ever. 

2  As  for  Jerusalem — mountains  are  round  about  her, 
And  Jahve  is  round  about  His  people 

From  this  time  and  for  evermore. 

3  For  the  sceptre  of  wickedness  shall  not  rest 
Upon  the  lot  of  tlie  righteous. 

Lest  the  righteous  stretch  out 
Their  hands  unto  iniquity. 

4  O  show  Thyself  good,  Jahve,  unto  the  good 
And  to  those  who  are  upright  in  their  hearts. 


PSALM  CXXV.  1,  2.  285 

5  But  those  who  turn  aside  their  crooked  paths — 

Jahve  cause  them  to  pass  away  with  the  workers  of  iniquity. 
Peace  be  upon  Israel ! 

The  favourite  word  Israel  furnished  the  outward  occasion 
for  annexing  this  Psahn  to  the  preceding.  The  situation  is 
like  that  in  Ps.  cxxiii,  and  cxxiv.  The  people  are  under  foreign 
dominion.  In  this  lies  the  seductive  inducement  to  apostasy. 
The  pious  and  the  apostate  ones  are  already  separated.  Those 
who  have  remained  faithful  shall  not,  however,  always  remain 
enslaved.  Round  about  Jerusalem  are  mountains,  but  more 
important  still :  Jahve,  of  rocks  the  firmest,  Jahve  encompasses 
His  people. 

That  this  Psalm  is  one  of  the  latest,  appears  from  the  cir- 
cumstantial expression  "  the  upright  in  their  hearts,"  instead 
of  the  old  one,  "  the  upright  of  heart,"  from  I^Nn  "bv^  instead  of 
the  former  px  '•Pi'D,  and  also  from  N'P  iVOp  (beside  this  passage 
occurring  only  in  cxix.  11,  80,  Ezek.  xix.  9,  xxvi.  20,  Zech. 
xii.  7)  instead  of  N^  i"f X  jpo!?  or  if. 

Vers.  1,  2.  The  stedfastness  which  those  who  trust  in 
Jahve  prove  in  the  midst  of  every  kind  of  temptation  and 
assault  is  likened  to  Mount  Zion,  because  the  God  to  whom 
they  believingly  cling  is  He  who  sits  enthroned  on  Zion.  The 
future  3^').  signifies :  He  sits  and  will  sit,  that  is  to  say,  He 
continues  to  sit,  cf.  ix.  8,  cxxii.  5.  Older  expositors  are  of 
opinion  that  the  heavenly  Zion  must  be  understood  on  account 
of  the  Chalda^an  and  the  Roman  catastrophes ;  but  these,  in 
fact,  only  came  upon  the  buildings  on  the  mountain,  not  upon 
the  mountain  itself,  which  in  itself  and  according  to  its  ap- 
pointed destiny  {yid.  Mic.  iii.  12,  iv.  1)  remained  unshaken. 
In  ver.  2  also  it  is  none  other  than  the  earthly  Jerusalem  that 
is  meant.  The  holy  city  has  a  natural  circumvallation  of 
mountains,  and  the  holy  nation  that  dwells  and  worships 
therein  has  a  still  infinitely  higher  defence  in  Jahve,  who 
encompasses  it  round  {vid.  on  xxxiv.  8),  as  perhaps  a  wall  of 
fire  (Zech.  ii.  9  [5]),  or  an  impassably  broad  and  mighty  river 
(Isa.  xxxiii.  21)  ;  a  statement  which  is  also  now  confirmed,  for, 
etc.     Instead  of  inferring  from  the  clause  ver.  2  that  which  is 


286  PSALM  CXXV.  3-5. 

to  be  expected  with  p^,  the  poet  confirms  it  with  ^D  by  that 
which  is  surely  to  be  expected. 

Ver.  3.  The  pressure  of  the  worldly  power,  which  now  lies 
heavily  upon  the  holy  land,  will  not  last  for  ever;  the  duration 
of  the  calamity  is  exactly  proportioned  to  the  power  of  resis- 
tance of  the  righteous,  whom  God  proves  and  purifies  by 
calamity,  but  not  without  at  the  same  time  graciously  preserv- 
ing them.  "The  rod  of  wickedness"  is  the  heathen  sceptre, 
and  "the  righteous"  are  the  Israelites  who  hold  fast  to  the 
religion  of  their  fathers.  The  holy  land,  whose  sole  entitled 
inheritors  are  these  righteous,  is  called  their  "  lot "  (^"TiJ,  KXypo^ 
=  KXrjpovofila).  H^ii  signifies  to  alight  or  settle  down  anywhere, 
and  having  alighted,  to  lean  upon  or  rest  (cf.  Isa.  xi.  2  witli 
John  i.  32,  efxeivev).  The  LXX.  renders  ovk  a^rjaet,  i.e.  n-S^  ^5!? 
(cf.  on  the  other  hand  n''J*^j  He  shall  let  down,  cause  to  come 
down,  in  Isa.  xxx.  32).  Not  for  a  continuance  shall  the 
sceptre  of  heathen  tyranny  rest  upon  the  holy  land,  God  will 
not  suffer  that :  in  order  that  the  righteous  may  not  at  length, 
by  virtue  of  the  power  which  pressure  and  use  exercises  over 
men,  also  participate  in  the  prevailing  ungodly  doings.  TO^y 
with  Beth :  to  seize  upon  anything  wrongfully,  or  even  only 
(as  in  Job  xxviii.  9)  to  lay  one's  hand  upon  anything  (frequently 
with  hv).  As  here  in  the  case  of  "^nPlj;,  in  Ixxx.  3  too  the  form 
that  is  the  same  as  the  locative  is  combined  with  a  preposition. 

Vers.  4,  5.  On  the  ground  of  the  strong  faith  in  vers,  1 
sq.  and  of  the  confident  hope  in  ver.  3,  the  petition  now  arises 
that  Jahve  would  speedily  bestow  the  earnestly  desired  blessing 
of  freedom  upon  the  faithful  ones,  and  on  the  other  hand 
remove  the  cowardly  [lit.  those  afraid  to  confess  God]  and 
those  who  have  fellowship  with  apostasy,  together  with  the 
declared  wicked  ones,  out  of  the  way.  For  such  is  the  mean- 
ing of  vers.  4  sq.  DUiD  (in  Pi'overbs  alternating  with  the 
"  righteous,"  ch.  ii.  20,  the  opposite  being  the  "  wicked,"  D^y:;h, 
ch.  xiv.  19)  are  here  those  who  truly  believe  and  rightly  act 
in  accordance  with  the  good  will  of  God,*  or,  as  the  parallel 


*  The  Midrash  here  calls  to  mind  a  Talmudic  riddle:  There  camo  a 
good  one  (Moses,  Ex.  ii.  2)  and  received  a  good  thing  (the  Tora,  Prov.  iv. 
2)  from  the  good  One  (God,  Ps.  cxlv.  9)  for  the  good  ones  (Israel,  Pa, 
CXXV.  4). 


rsALM  cxxvi.  287 

member  of  the  verse  explains  (where  Q^Tf  r  d'\d  not  require  the 
article  on  account  of  the  addition),  those  who  in  the  bottom  of 
their  heart  are  uprightly  disposed,  as  God  desires  to  liave  it. 
Tiie  poet  supplicates  good  for  them,  viz.  preservation  against 
denying  God  and  deliverance  out  of  slavery ;  for  those,  on  the 
contrary,  who  bend  {^'^'})  their  crooked  paths,  i.e.  turn  aside 
their  paths  in  a  crooked  direction  from  the  right  way  (Qni^j^^ipy, 
cf.  Judg.  V.  6,  no  less  than  in  Amos  ii.  7,  Prov.  xvii.  23,  an  ac- 
cusative of  the  object,  which  is  more  natural  than  that  it  is  the 
accusative  of  the  direction,  after  Num.  xxii.  23  extrem.,  cf.  Job 
xxiii.  11,  Isa.  xxx.  11) — for  these  he  wishes  that  Jahve  would 

clear  them  away   (^yi^  like  c3l^^  perire  facere  =  perdere) 

together  with  the  workers  of  evil,  i.e.  the  open,  manifest  sinners, 
to  whom  these  lukewarm  and  sly,  false  and  equivocal  ones  are 
in  no  way  inferior  as  a  source  of  danger  to  the  church.  LXX. 
correctly:  TOv<i  he  €KKXlvovTa<;  eh  ra?  crTpayyaXia<;  (Aquihi 
SiaTrXoKci^,  Symmachus  aKoXiorTjra'i,  Theodotion  SieaTpa/xfieva) 
cnru^eL  Kvpio<;  fieTa,  k.t.\.  Finally,  the  poet,  stretching  out  his 
hand  over  Israel  as  if  pronouncing  the  benediction  of  the 
priest,  gathers  up  all  his  hopes,  prayers,  and  wishes  into  the 
one  prayer:  "Peace  be  upon  Israel."  He  means  "the  Israel 
of  God,"  Gal.  vi.  16.  Upon  this  Israel  he  calls  down  peace 
from  above.  Peace  is  the  end  of  tyranny,  hostility,  dismem- 
berment, unrest,  and  terror;  peace  is  freedom  and  harmony 
and  unity  and  security  and  blessedness. 


PSALM    CXXVI. 

THE  HARVEST  OF  JOY  AFTER  TIIE  SOWING  OF  TEARS. 

1  "WHEN  Jahve  brought  back  the  returning  ones  of  Zion, 

"VVe  were  as  those  who  dream. 

2  Then  laughter  filled  our  mouth, 

And  our  tongue  a  shout  of  joy. 
Then  said  they  among  the  heathen  : 

"  Great  things  hath  Jahve  done  for  thein^— 

3  Great  things  hath  Jahve  done  for  j/.«, 

We  became  glad. 


288  PSALM  CXXVI.  1-3. 

4  Oh  lead  back,  Jalive,  our  captive  ones, 

As  streams  in  the  south  country  I 

5  Those  who  sow  with  tears. 

Shall  reap  with  a  shout  of  joy. 

6  He  goeth  to  and  fro  amidst  weeping, 

Bearing  the  scattering  of  the  seed — 
He  cometh  along  with  a  shout  of  joy, 
Bearing  his  sheaves. 


nects  with  the  preceding  Psalm,  exactly  as  with  Ps.  Ixxxv., 
which  also  gives  thanks  for  the  restoration  of  the  captive  ones 
of  Israel  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  hand  has  to  com- 
plain of  the  wrath  that  is  still  not  entirely  removed,  and  prays 
for  a  national  restoration.  There  are  expositors  indeed  who 
also  transfer  the  grateful  retrospect  with  which  this  Song  of 
degrees  (vers.  1-3),  like  that  Korahitic  Psalm  (vers.  2-4), 
begins,  into  the  future  (among  the  translators  Luther  is  at  least 
more  consistent  than  the  earlier  ones)  ;  but  they  do  this  for 
reasons  which  are  refuted  by  Ps.  Ixxxv.,  and  which  are  at  once 
silenced  when  brought  face  to  face  with  the  requirements  of 
the  syntax. 

Vers.  1-3.  When  passages  like  Isa.  i.  9,  Gen.  xlvii.  25, 
or  others  where  i:''''ni  is  -perf.  consec,  are  appealed  to  in  order  to 
prove  that  D''^ph3  ^3''\'i  may  signify  erimus  quasi  somniantes, 
they  are  instances  that  are  different  in  point  of  syntax.  Any 
other  rendering  than  that  of  the  LXX.  is  here  impossible,  viz. : 
^Ev  TU)  iiTLcnpe^^aL  Kvptov  rip  al')Qia\a)(j[av  Xmv  iyevijOrj/xei' 
ft)?  7rapaK€K\7}/jieuot  (D''Dnp3  ? — Jerome  correctly,  quasi  soin- 
niantes).  It  is,  however,  just  as  erroneous  when  Jerome  goes 
on  to  render :  time  implebitur  risic  os  nostrum ;  for  it  is  true  the 
futui'e  after  Tti  has  a  future  signification  in  passages  where  the 
context  relates  to  matters  of  future  history,  as  in  xcvi.  12,  Zeph. 
iii.  9,  but  it  always  has  the  signification  of  the  imperfect  after 
the  key-note  of  the  historical  past  has  once  been  struck,  Ex. 
XV.  1,  Josh.  viii.  30,  x.  12,  1  Kings  xi.  7,  xvi.  21,  2  Kings  xv. 
16,  Job  xxxviii.  21 ;  it  is  therefore,  tunc  implebatur.  It  is  the 
exiles  at  home  again  upon  the  soil  of  their  fatherland  wlio 
here  cast  back  a  glance  into  the  happy  time  when  their  destiny 


rSALM  CXXVI.  4-G.  289 

suddenly  took  another  turn,  by  tlie  God  of  Israel  disposing  the 
heart  of  the  conqueror  of  Babylon  to  set  them  at  liberty,  and 
to  send  them  to  their  native  land  in  an  honourable  manner. 
ri3''^  is  not  equivalent  to  ^''^p',  nor  is  there  any  necessity  to 
read  it  thus  (Olshausen,  Bottcher,  and  Hupfeld).  HT^  (from 
2^\y,  like  HN-a,  n?^''|'p)  signifies  the  return,  and  then  those  return- 
ing ;  it  is,  certainly,  an  innovation  of  this  very  late  poet. 
AVhen  Jahve  brought  home  the  homeward-bound  ones  of  Zion 
— the  poet  means  to  say — we  were  as  dreamers.  Does  he  mean 
by  this  that  the  long  seventy  years'  term  of  affliction  lay 
behind  us  like  a  vanished  dream  (Joseph  Kimchi),  or  that  the 
redemption  that  broke  upon  us  so  suddenly  seemed  to  us  at 
first  not  to  be  a  reality  but  a  beautiful  dream  ?  The  tenor  of 
the  language  favours  the  latter :  as  those  not  really  passing 
through  such  circumstances,  but  only  dreaming.  Then — the 
poet  goes  on  to  say — our  mouth  was  filled  with  laughter  (Job 
viii.  21)  and  our  tongue  with  a  shout  of  joy,  inasmuch,  namely, 
as  the  impression  of  the  good  fortune  which  contrasted  so 
strongly  with  our  trouble  hitherto,  compelled  us  to  open  our 
mouth  wide  in  order  that  our  joy  might  break  forth  in  a  full 
stream,  and  our  jubilant  mood  impelled  our  tongue  to  utter 
shouts  of  joy,  which  knew  no  limit  because  of  the  inexhaustible 
matter  of  our  rejoicing.  And  how  awe-inspiring  was  Israel's 
position  at  that  time  among  the  peoples!  and  what  astonish- 
ment the  marvellous  change  of  Israel's  lot  produced  upon 
them  !  Even  the  heathen  confessed  that  it  was  Jahve's  work, 
and  that  He  had  done  great  things  for  them  (Joel  ii.  20  sq., 
1  Sam.  xii.  24) — the  glorious  predictions  of  Isaiah,  as  in  ch. 
xlv.  14,  lii.  10,  and  elsewhere,  w^ere  being  fulfilled.  The  church 
on  its  part  seals  that  confession  coming  from  the  mouth  of  the 
heathen.  This  it  is  that  made  them  so  joyful,  that  God  had 
acknowledged  them  by  such  a  mighty  deed. 

Vers.  4-6.  But  still  the  work  so  mightily  and  graciously 
begun  is  not  completed.  Those  who  up  to  the  present  time 
have  returned,  out  of  whose  heart  this  Psalm  is,  as  it  were, 
composed,  are  only  like  a  small  vanguard  in  relation  to  the 
whole  nation.  Instead  of  l^nuy^  the  Keri  here  reads  i^D^Dtt', 
from  nuir,  Num.  xxi.  29,  after  the  form  n^^a  in  Gen.  1.  4.  As 
we  read  elsewhere  that  Jerusalem  yearns  after  her  children, 
and  Jahve  solemnly  assures  her,  "  thou  shalt  put  them  all  on 

VOL.  III.  19 


290  PSALM  CXXVI.  4-G. 

as  jewels  and  gird  thyself  like  a  bride"  (Isa.  xlix.  18),  so  here 
the  poet  proceeds  from  the  idea  that  the  holy  land  yearns  after 
an  abundant,  reanimating  influx  of  population,  as  the  Negeb 
{i.e.  the  Judasan  south  country,  Gen.  xx.  1,  and  in  general  the 
south  country  lying  towards  the  desert  of  Sinai)  thirsts  for  the 
rain-water  streams,  which  disappear  in  the  summer  season  and 
regularly  return  in  the  winter  season.  Concerning  P'3!?^,  "  a 
water-holding  channel,"  vid.  on  xviii.  16.  If  we  translate 
cojiverte  captivitatem  nostram  (as  Jerome  does,  following  the 
LXX.),  we  shall  not  know  what  to  do  with  the  figure,  whereas 
in  connection  with  the  rendering  reduc  cajJtivos  nostras  it  is  just 
as  beautifully  adapted  to  the  object  as  to  the  governing  verb.  If 
we  have  rightly  referred  negeb  not  to  the  land  of  the  Exile  but 
to  the  Land  of  Promise,  whose  appearance  at  this  time  is  still 
so  unlike  the  promise,  we  shall  now  also  understand  by  those 
who  sow  in  tears  not  the  exiles,  but  those  who  have  already 
returned  home,  who  are  again  sowing  the  old  soil  of  their  native 
land,  and  that  with  tears,  because  the  ground  is  so  parched 
that  there  is  little  hope  of  the  seed  springing  up.  But  this 
tearful  sowing  will  be  followed  by  a  joyful  harvest.  One  is 
reminded  here  of  the  drought  and  failure  of  the  crops  with 
which  the  new  colony  was  visited  in  the  time  of  Haggai,  and 
of  the  coming  blessing  promised  by  the  prophet  with  a  view 
to  the  work  of  the  building  of  the  Temple  being  vigorously 
carried  forward.  Here,  however,  the  tearful  sowing  is  only 
:in  emblem  of  the  new  foundation-laying,  which  really  took 
place  not  without  many  tears  (Ezra  iii.  12),  amidst  sorrowful 
and  depressed  circumstances  ;  but  in  its  general  sense  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Psalm  coincides  with  the  language  of  the  Preacher 
on  the  Mount,  Matt.  v.  4  :  Blessed  are  those  who  mourn,  for 
they  shall  be  comforted.  The  subject  to  ver.  6  is  the  husband- 
man, and  without  a  figure,  every  member  of  the  ecclesia  pressa. 
The  gerundial  construction  in  ver.  6a  (as  in  2  Sam.  iii.  16, 
Jer.  1.  4,  cf.  the  more  Indo-Germanic  style  of  expression  in 
2  Sam.  XV.  30)  depicts  the  continual  passing  along,  here  the 
going  to  and  fro  of  the  sorrowfully  pensive  man  ;  and  ver.  Qb 
the  undoubted  coming  and  sure  appearing  of  him  who  is  highly 
blessed  beyond  expectation.  The  former  bears  y>n  ^t"0,  the 
seed-draught,  i.e.  the  handful  of  seed  taken  from  the  rest  for 
casting  out  (for  Vyip  T^'^  in  Amos.ix.  13  signifies  to  cast  forth 


PSALM  CXXVII.  291 

the  seed  along  the  furrows)  ;  the  latter  his  sheaves,  the  produce 
(nsi2n),  such  as  puts  him  to  the  blush,  of  his,  as  it  appeared 
to  him,  forlorn  sowing.  As  by  the  sowini;  we  are  to  under- 
stand everything  that  each  individual  contributes  towards  the 
building  up  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  so  by  the  sheaves,  the 
wholesome  fruit  which,  by  God  bestowing  His  blessing  upon  it 
beyond  our  prayer  and  comprehension,  springs  up  from  it. 


PSALM    CXXVII. 

EVERYTHING  DEPENDS  UPON  THE  BLESSING  OF  GOD.* 

1  IF  Jalive  build  not  the  house. 

They  labour  in  vain  thereon  who  build  it. 

If  Jahve  ivatch  not  over  the  city, 

In  vain  doth  he  keep  awake  who  loatcheth  over  it. 

2  In  vain  is  it  that  ye  rise  up  early 
And  only  sit  down  late, 

Eating  the  bread  of  sorrowful  labour 
Even  so  He  giveth  to  His  beloved  in  sleep. 

3  Behold  a  heritage  of  Jahve  are  sons, 
A  reward  is  the  fruit  of  the  womb. 

4  As  arrows  in  the  hand  of  a  mighty  man, 
So  are  sons  of  the  youth. 

5  Blessed  is  the  man 

Who  hath  his  quiver  full  of  them  : 

They  shall  not  be  ashamed. 

When  they  speak  with  enemies  in  the  gate. 

The  inscribed  ^b^'h  is  only  added  to  this  Song  of  degrees 
because  there  was  found  in  ver.  2  not  only  an  allusion  to  the 
name  Jedidiah,  which  Solomon  received  from  Nathan  (2  Sam. 
xii.  25),  but  also  to  his  being  endowed  with  wisdom  and  riches 
in  the  dream  at  Gibeon  (1  Kings  iii.  5  sqq.).     And  to  th'jse  is 

*  An  Goties  Segcn  ja7  alles  (jclnjcn. 


202  PSALII  CXXVII.  1,  z 

still  to  be  added  the  Proverbs-like  form  of  the  Psalm ;  for,  like 
the  proverb-song,  the  extended  form  of  the  Mashed,  it  consists 
of  a  double  string  of  proverbs,  the  expression  of  which  reminds 
one  in  many  ways  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs  (Q'^V^  in  ver.  2, 
toilsome  efforts,  as  in  Prov.  v.  10  ;  ''^t]^'?'  ^^  ^^  Prov.  xxiii.  30 ; 
Dniyiiri  ••32  In  ver.  4,  sons  begotten  in  one's  youth,  as  in  Prov. 
V.  18  D'''}^y3  riK'N,  a  wife  married  in  one's  youth;  "lytJ'a  in  ver.  5, 
as  in  Prov.  xxii.  22,  xxiv.  7),  and  which  together  are  like  the 
imfolding  of  the  proverb,  ch.  x.  22  :  I'he  blessing  of  JaJive,  it 
maketli  rich,  and  labour  addeth  nothing  beside  it.  Even  Theodoret 
observes,  on  the  natural  assumption  that  ver.  1  points  to  the 
building  of  the  Temple,  how  much  better  the  Psalm  suits  the 
time  of  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua,  when  the  building  of  the  Temple 
was  imperilled  by  the  hostile  neighbouring  peoples ;  and  in  con- 
nection with  the  relatively  small  number  of  those  who  had 
returned  home  out  of  the  Exile,  a  numerous  family,  and  more 
especially  many  sons,  must  have  seemed  to  be  a  doubly  and 
threefoldly  precious  blessing  from  God. 

Vers.  1,  2.  The  poet  proves  that  everything  depends 
upon  the  blessing  of  God  from  examples  taken  from  the  God- 
ordained  life  of  the  family  and  of  the  state.  The  rearing  of 
the  house  which  affords  us  protection,  and  the  stability  of  the 
city  in  which  we  securely  and  peaceably  dwell,  the  acquisition 
of  possessions  that  maintain  and  adorn  life,  the  begetting  and 
rearing  of  sons  that  may  contribute  substantial  support  to  the 
father  as  he  grows  old — all  these  are  things  which  depend  upon 
the  blessing  of  God  without  natural  preliminary  conditions 
being  able  to  guarantee  them,  well-devised  arrangements  to 
ensure  them,  unwearied  labours  to  obtain  them  by  force,  or 
impatient  care  and  murmuring  to  get  them  by  defiance. 
Many  a  man  builds  himself  a  house,  but  he  is  not  able  to 
carry  out  the  building  of  it,  or  he  dies  before  he  is  able  to 
take  possession  of  it,  or  the  building  fails  through  unforeseen 
inisfortunes,  or,  if  it  succeeds,  becomes  a  prey  to  violent  de- 
struction :  if  God  Himself  do  not  build  it,  they  labour  thereon 
(3  ^py,  Jonah  iv.  10,  Eccles.  ii.  21)  in  vain  who  build  it. 
^iany  a  city  is  well-ordered,  and  seems  to  be  secured  by  wise 
precautions  against  every  misfortune,  against  fire  and  sudden 
attack;  but  if  God  Himself  do  not  guard  it,  it  is  in  vain  that 


PSALM  CXXVII.  3-5.  293 

those  to  whom  its  protection  is  entrusted  give  themselves  no 
sleep  and  perform  pi^y')  ^  word  that  has  only  come  into  fre- 
quent use  since  the  literature  of  the  Salomonic  age)  the  duties 
of  their  office  with  the  utmost  devotion.  The  perfect  in  the 
apodosis  affirms  what  has  been  done  on  the  part  of  man  to  be 
ineffectual  if  the  former  is  not  done  on  God's  part;  cf.  Num. 
xxxii.  23.  Many  rise  up  early  in  order  to  get  to  their  work, 
and  delay  the  sitting  down  as  long  as  possible ;  i.e.  not :  the 
lying  down  (Hupfeld),  for  that  is  ^p^,  not  3'J*^ ;  but  to  take  a 
seat  in  order  to  rest  a  little,  and,  as  what  follows  shows,  to  eat 
(liitzig).  D^p  and  na^  stand  opposed  to  one  another :  the  latter 
cannot  therefore  mean  to  remain  sitting  at  one's  work,  in 
favour  of  which  Isa.  v.  11  (where  ip.33  and  ^^^^  form  an  anti- 
thesis) cannot  be  properly  compared.  1  Sam.  xx.  24  shows 
that  prior  to  the  incursion  of  the  Grecian  custom  they  did  not 
take  their  meals  lying  or  reclining  (dva-  or  KaTaK€i/x€vo<;),  but 
sitting.  It  is  vain  for  you — the  poet  exclaims  to  them — it  will 
not  after  all  bring  what  you  think  to  be  able  to  acquire ;  in  so 
doing  you  eat  only  the  bread  of  sorrow,  i.e.  bread  that  is  pro- 
cured with  toil  and  trouble  (cf.  Gen.  iii.  17,  P^^'V?)  •  I?,  in  like 
manner,  i.e.  the  same  as  you  are  able  to  procure  only  by  toil- 
some and  anxious  efforts,  God  gives  to  His  beloved  (Ix.  7,  Deut. 
xxxiii.  12)  W*^  (=  n:^')j  in  sleep  (an  adverbial  accusative  like 
"ii5"3j  n7?,  2"}]})^  i.e.  without  restless  self-activity,  in  a  state  of 
self-forgetful  renunciation,  and  modest,  calm  surrender  to 
Ilim  ;  "  God  bestows  His  gifts  during  the  night,"  says  a 
German  proverb,  and  a  Greek  proverb  even  says:  euSovTc 
Kvpro^  atpel.  Bcittcher  takes  |3  in  the  sense  of  "  so  =  without 
anything  further;"  and  p  certainly  has  this  meaning  some- 
times (yid.  introduction  to  Ps.  ex.),  but  not  in  this  passage, 
where,  as  referring  back,  it  stands  at  the  head  of  the  clause, 
and  where  what  this  mimic  p  would  import  lies  in  the  word 

Vers.  3-5.  With  ^}J}  it  goes  on  to  refer  to  a  specially 
striking  example  in  support  of  the  maxim  that  everything  de- 
pends upon  God's  blessing.  ip3n  nD  (Gen.  xxx.  2,  Deut.  vii. 
13)  beside  CJS  also  admits  of  the  including  of  daughters.  It 
is  with  13b'  (recalling  Gen.  xxx.  18)  just  as  with  ripnj.  Just  as 
the  latter  in  this  passage  denotes  an  inheritance  not  according 
to  hereditary  right,  but  in  accordance  with  the  free-will  of  the 


294  PSALM  CXXVII.  3-5. 

giver,  so  the  former  denotes  not  a  reward  that  is  paid  out  as  in 
auty  bound,  but  a  recompense  that  is  bestowed  according  to 
one's  free  judgment,  and  in  fact  looked  for  in  accordance  with 
a  promise  given,  but  cannot  by  any  means  be  demanded.  Sons 
are  a  blessed  gift  from  above.  They  are  —  especially  when 
they  are  the  offspring  of  a  youthful  marriage  (opp.  D^3pr|2j 
Gen.  xxxvii.  3,  xliv.  20),  and  accordingly  themselves  strong 
and  hearty  (Gen.  xlix.  3),  and  at  the  time  that  tlie  father  is 
growing  old  are  in  the  bloom  of  their  years — like  arrows  in 
the  hand  of  a  warrior.  This  is  a  comparison  which  the  cir- 
cumstances of  his  time  made  natural  to  the  poet,  in  which  the 
sword  was  carried  side  by  side  with  the  trowel,  and  the  work 
of  national  restoration  had  to  be  defended  step  by  step  against 
open  enemies,  envious  neighbours,  and  false  brethren.  It  was 
not  sufficient  then  to  have  arrows  in  the  quiver;  one  was 
obliged  to  have  them  not  merely  at  hand,  but  in  the  hand 
(1'3),  in  order  to  be  able  to  discharge  them  and  defend  one's 
self.  What  a  treasure,  in  such  a  time  when  it  was  needful  to 
be  constantly  ready  for  fighting,  defensive  or  offensive,  was 
that  which  youthful  sons  afforded  to  the  elderly  father  and 
weaker  members  of  the  family  !  Happy  is  the  man — the  poet 
exclaims — who  has  his  quiver,  i.e.  his  house,  full  of  such  arrows, 
in  order  to  be  able  to  deal  out  to  the  enemies  as  many  arrows 
as  may  be  needed.  The  father  and  such  a  host  of  sons  sur- 
rounding him  (this  is  the  complex  notion  of  the  subject)  form 
a  phalanx  not  to  be  broken  through.  If  they  have  to  speak 
with  enemies  in  the  gate — i.e.  candidly  to  upbraid  them  with 
their  wrong,  or  to  ward  off  their  unjust  accusation — they  shall 
not  be  ashamed,  i.e.  not  be  overawed,  disheartened,  or  disarmed. 
Gesenius  in  his  Thesaurus,  as  Ibn-Jachja  has  already  done, 
takes  l?"n  here  in  the  signification  "  to  destroy ;"  but  in  Gen. 
xxxiv.  13  this  Piel  signifies  to  deal  behind  one's  back  (deceit- 
fully), and  in  2  Chron.  xxii.  10  to  get  rid  of  by  assassination. 

This  shade  of  the  notion,  which  proceeds  from   j j,  pone  esse 

(yid.  xviii.  48,  xxviii.  2),  does  not  suit  the  passage  before  us, 
and  the  expression  ^ti'T"X7  is  favourable  to  the  idea  of  the  gate 
as  being  the  forum,  which  arises  from  taking  li^n^  in  its  ordi- 
nary signification.  Unjust  judges,  malicious  accusers,  and 
false  witnesses  retire  shy  and  faint-hearted  before  a  familv  so 


PSALM  CXXVIII.  295 

capable  of  defenJing  itself.     We  read  the  opposite  of  this  in 
Job  V.  4  of  sons  upon  whom  the  curse  of  their  fathers  rests. 


PSALM    CXXVIII. 

THE  FAMILY  PKOSPERITY  OF  THE  GOD-FEARING  MAN. 

1  HA  PPY  is  every  one  who  feareth  Jahve, 
Who  walketh  in  His  ways. 

2  The  labour  of  thy  liands  shalt  thou  surely  eat, 
Happy  art  thou,  and  it  is  well  with  thee. 

S  Thy  wife,  like  a  fruitful  vine  is  she, 
In  the  inner  part  of  thy  house  ; 
Thy  children  are  like  shoots  of  olive-trees 
Round  about  thy  table. 

4  Behold,  surely  thus  is  the  man  blessed 
Who  feareth  Jahve. 

5  Jahve  bless  thee  out  of  Zion, 

And  see  thou  the  prosperity  of  Jerusalem 
All  the  days  of  thy  life, 

6  And  see  thou  thy  children's  children — 
Peace  be  upon  Israel ! 

Just  as  Ps.  cxxvii.  is  appended  to  Ps.  cxxvi.  because  the 
fact  that  Israel  was  so  surprised  by  the  redemption  out  of 
exile  that  they  thought  they  were  dreaming,  finds  its  interpre- 
tation in  the  universal  truth  that  God  bestows  upon  him  whom 
He  loves,  in  sleep,  that  which  others  are  not  able  to  acquire  by 
toiling  and  moiling  day  and  night :  so  Ps.  cxxviii.  follows  Ps. 
cxxvii.  for  the  same  reason  as  Ps.  ii.  follows  Ps.  i.  In  both 
instances  they  are  Psalms  placed  together,  of  which  one  begins 
with  ashre  and  one  ends  with  ashrc.  In  other  respects  Ps. 
cxxviii.  and  cxxvii.  supplement  one  another.  They  are  re- 
lated to  one  another  much  as  the  New  Testament  parables  of 
the  treasure  in  the  field  and  the  one  pearl  are  related.  That 
which  makes  man  happy  is  represented  in  Ps.  cxxvii.  as  a  gift 
coming  as  a  blessing,  and  in  Ps.  cxxviii.  as  a  reward  coming  as 
a  blessing,  that  which  is  briefly  indicated  in  the  word  13'^'  in 


296  PSALM  CXXVIII.  1-3. 

cxxvii.  3  being  here  expanded  and  unfolded.  There  it  appears 
as  a  gift  of  grace  in  contrast  to  the  God-estranged  self-activity 
of  man,  here  as  a  fruit  of  the  ora  et  lahora.  Ewald  considers 
this  and  the  preceding  Psalm  to  be  songs  to  be  sung  at  table. 
But  they  are  ill-suited  for  this  purpose ;  for  they  contain  per- 
sonal mirrorings  instead  of  petitions,  and  instead  of  benedic- 
tions of  those  who  are  about  to  partake  of  the  food  provided. 

Vers.  1-3.  The  ^3  in  ver.  2  signifies  neither  "  for"  (Aquila, 
Koirov  TMV  rapawv  aov  on  (f)dyeaaL)j  nor  "when"  (Symmachus, 
KOTTov  x^^P^^  °"°^  eaOioiv) ;  it  is  the  directly  affirmative  ""^j 
which  is  sometimes  thus  placed  after  other  words  in  a  clause 
(cxviii.  10-12,  Gen.  xviii.  20,  xli.  32).  The  proof  in  favour 
of  this  asseverating  ""S  is  the  very  usual  nriy  '3  in  the  apodoses 
of  hypothetical  protases,  or  even  I^"''3  in  Job  xi.  15,  or  also 
only  ""S  in  Isa.  vii.  9,  1  Sam.  xiv.  39 :  "surely  then ;"  the  tran- 
sition from  the  confirmative  to  the  affirmative  signification  is 
evident  from  ver.  4  of  the  Psalm  before  us.  To  support  one's 
self  by  one's  own  labour  is  a  duty  which  even  a  Paul  did  not 
wish  to  avoid  (Acts  xx.  34),  and  so  it  is  a  great  good  fortune 
(^p  3i£3  as  in  cxix.  71)  to  eat  the  produce  of  the  labour  of  one's 
own  hands  (LXX.  toj)?  Kap7rov<;  rwv  ttovcov,  or  according  to 
an  original  reading,  tou?  irovovi  rcov  Kapiroiv  *)  ;  for  he  who 
can  make  himself  useful  to  others  and  still  is  also  independent 
of  them,  he  eats  the  bread  of  blessing  which  God  gives,  which 
is  sweeter  than  the  bread  of  charity  which  men  give.  In  close 
connection  with  this  is  the  prosperity  of  a  house  that  is  at  peace 
and  contented  within  itself,  of  an  amiable  and  tranquil  and 
hopeful  (rich  in  hope)  family  life.  "  Thy  wife  (^^'f '"^j  found 
only  here,  for  '^^^'^)  is  as  a  fruit-producing  vine."  nnsi  for  n-jb, 
from  nna  =  ns,  with  the  Jod  of  the  root  retained,  like  '""'^n, 
Lam.  i.  16.  The  figure  of  the  vine  is  admirably  suited  to  the 
wife,  who  is  a  shoot  or  sprig  of  the  husband,  and  stands  in 
need  of  the  man's  support  as  the  vine  needs  a  stick  or  the  wall 
of  a  house  (pergula).     ^n''?  ''n3"i'3  does  not  belong  to  the  figure, 


*  The  fact  that  the  tZu  Kotp-Truv  of  the  LXX.  here,  as  in  Prov.  xxxi.  20, 
is  intended  to  refer  to  the  hands  is  noted  by  Theodoret  and  also  by  Didy- 
mus  (in  Rosenmiiller)  :  x,u.pT>ovq  (pr,<ji  vvv  u;  oLtco  /^tpovg  roc;  xupccg  (i.e.  per 
yynecflncheii  partis  pro  ioto)^  TOvriaTi  rZv  TrpunTtKuv  acv  ^vvxpcsuv  (pMyiaxi 


PSALM  CXXVllI.  l-C,  CXXIX.  297 

as  Kimclii  is  of  opinion,  who  thinks  of  a  vine  startin*^  out  of 
the  room  and  climbing  up  in  the  open  air  outside.  What  is 
meant  is  the  angle,  corner,  or  nook  C^?"!^,  in  relation  to  things 
and  artificial,  equivalent  to  the  natural  ""^l'),  i.e.  the  background, 
the  privacy  of  the  house,  where  the  housewife,  who  is  not  to  be 
seen  much  out  of  doors,  leads  a  quiet  life,  entirely  devoted  to 
the  happiness  of  her  husband  and  her  family.  The  children 
springing  from  such  a  noble  vine,  planted  around  the  family 
table,  are  like  olive  shoots  or  cuttings ;  cf.  in  Euripides,  Medea, 
1098  :  reKvwv  ev  oXkol^  yXvKepov  ^daTi]fia,  and  Here.  Far. 
839  :  KaXkl.TTai,<i  are^avo'i.  Thus  fresh  as  young  layered  small 
olive-trees  and  thus  promising  are  they. 

Vers.  4-6.  Pointing  back  to  this  charming  picture  of 
family  life,  the  poet  goes  on  to  say  :  behold,  for  tlius=:  behold, 
thus  is  the  man  actually  blessed  Avho  fears  Jahve.  '3  confirms 
the  reality  of  the  matter  of  fact  to  which  the  n:n  points.  The 
promissory  future  in  ver.  ba  is  followed  by  imperatives  which 
call  upon  the  God-fearing  man  at  once  to  do  that  which,  in 
accordance  with  the  promises,  stands  before  him  as  certain, 
li'jro  as  in  cxxxiv.  3,  xx.  3.  ^^3af)  D^J3  instead  of  ^^:2  \J3  gives 
a  designed  indefiniteness  to  the  first  member  of  the  combina- 
tion. Every  blessing  the  individual  enjoys  comes  from  the 
God  of  salvation,  who  has  taken  up  His  abode  in  Zion,  and  is 
perfected  in  participation  in  the  prosperity  of  the  holy  city  and 
of  the  whole  church,  of  which  it  is  the  centre.  A  New  Testa- 
ment song  would  here  open  up  the  prospect  of  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem.  But  the  character  of  limitation  to  this  present 
world  that  is  stamped  upon  the  Old  Testament  does  not  admit 
of  this.  The  promise  refers  only  to  a  present  participation  in 
the  well-being  of  Jerusalem  (Zech.  viii.  15)  and  to  lung  life 
prolonged  in  one's  children's  children ;  and  in  this  sense  calls 
down  intercessorily  peace  upon  Israel  in  all  its  members,  and 
in  all  places  and  all  ages. 


PSALM    CXXIX. 

THE  END  OF  THE  OPPRESSORS  OF  ZION. 

1  ENOUGH  have  they  oppressed  me  from  mj  youth  np, 
Let  Israel  say — 


298  PSALM  CXXIX.  1,  2. 

2  Enough  Itave  they  oppressed  me  from  my  youth  up, 
Nevertheless  they  have  not  prevailed  against  me. 

3  Upon  my  back  the  ploughers  ploughed, 
They  made  long  their  furrow-strip. 

4  Jahve  is  righteous  : 

He  hath  cut  asunder  the  cords  of  the  wicked. 

5  They  must  be  ashamed  and  turn  back, 
All  who  hate  Zion. 

6  They  must  become  as  grass  of  the  house-tops, 
Which,  ere  it  shooteth  up,  withereth — 

7  Wherewith  the  reaper  fiUeth  not  his  hand, 
Nor  he  who  bindeth  sheaves  his  bosom, 

8  Neither  do  they  who  pass  by  say : 
The  blessing  of  Jahve  be  upon  you  ! 

"  We  bless  you  in  the  name  of  Jahve  !  V 

Just  as  Ps.  cxxiv.  with  the  words  "  let  Israel  say^'  was 
followed  by  Ps.  cxxv.  with  '■^ peace  be  upon  Israel"  so  Ps. 
cxxviii.  with  "  peace  be  upon  Israel"  is  followed  by  Ps.  cxxix. 
with  "  let  Israel  say."  This  Ps.  cxxix.  has  not  only  the  call 
"  let  Israel  say"  but  also  the  situation  of  a  deliverance  that  has 
been  experienced  (cf.  ver.  4  with  cxxiv.  6  sq.),  from  which  point 
it  looks  gratefully  back  and  confidently  forward  into  the  future, 
and  an  Aramaic  tinge  that  is  noticeable  here  and  there  by  the 
side  of  all  other  classical  character  of  form,  in  common  with 
Ps.  cxxiv. 

Vers.  1,  2.  Israel  is  gratefully  to  confess  that,  however 
much  and  sorely  it  was  oppressed,  it  still  has  not  succumbed. 
nzi"ij  together  with  nn"},  has  occurred  already  in  Ixv.  10,  Ixii.  3, 
and  it  becomes  usual  in  the  post-exilic  language,  cxx.  6,  cxxiii. 
4,  2  Chron.  xxx.  18  ;  Syriac  rebath.  The  expression  "  from 
my  youth  "  glances  back  to  the  time  of  the  Egyptian  bondage  ; 
for  the  time  of  the  sojourn  in  Egypt  was  the  time  of  Israel's 
youth  (Hos.  ii.  17  [15],  xi.  1,  Jer.  ii.  2,  Ezek.  xxiii.  3).  The 
protasis  ver.  la  is  repeated  in  au  interlinked,  chain-like  con- 
junction in  order  to  complete  the  thought;  for  ver.  26  is  the 
turning-point,  where  C3,  having  reference  to  the  whole  negative 


PSALM  CXXIX.  3-8.  299 

clause,  sirrnifics  "  also"  in  the  sense  of  "  nevertheless,"  o/iw? 
(synon.  nNr!?33),  as  in  Ezek.  xvi.  28,  Eccles.  vi.  7,  cf.  above, 
cxix.  24  :  although  they  oppressed  me  much  and  sore,  yet  have 
they  not  overpowered  me  (the  construction  is  like  Num.  xiii. 
30,  and  frequently). 

Vers.  3-5.  Elsewhere  it  is  said  that  the  enemies  have 
driven  over  Israel  (Ixvi.  12),  or  have  gone  over  its  back  (Isa, 
li.  23)  ;  here  the  customary  figurative  language  JlJSt  ^1^  in  Job 
iv.  8  (cf.  Hos.  X.  13)  is  extended  to  another  figure  of  hostile 
dealing  :  without  compassion  and  without  consideration  they 
ill-treated  the  stretched-forth  back  of  the  people  who  were 
held  in  subjection,  as  though  it  were  arable  land,  and,  without 
restraining  their  ferocity  and  setting  a  limit  to  their  spoiling  of 
the  enslaved  people  and  country,  they  drew  their  furrow-strip 
(Dn''3yp,  according  to  the  Kert  DnijyD)  long.  But  nu'D  does 
not  signify  (as  Keil  on  1  Sam.  xiv.  14  is  of  opinion,  although 
explaining  the  passage  more  correctly  than  Thenius)  the  furrow 

(=  D^n,  'li'Ti),  but,  like  iUm^,  a  strip  of  arable  land  which  the 

ploughman  takes  in  hand  at  one  time,  at  both  ends  of  which 
consequently  the  ploughing  team  (*l^^*)  always  comes  to  a  stand, 
turns  round,  and  ploughs  a  new  furrow ;  from  njy,  to  bend, 
turn  (vid.  Wetzstein's  Excursus  II.  at  the  end  of  this  volume). 
It  is  therefore  :  they  drew  their  furrow-turning  long  (dative  of 
the  object  instead  of  the  accusative  with  Hiph.,  as  e.g.  in  Isa. 
xxix.  2,  cf.  with  Piel  in  xxxiv.  4,  cxvi.  16,  and  Kal  Ixix.  6, 
after  the  Aramaic  style,  although  it  is  not  unhebraic).  Right- 
eous is  Jahve — this  is  an  universal  truth,  which  has  been 
verified  in  the  present  circumstances  ; — He  hath  cut  asunder 
the  cords  of  the  wicked  (^i^y  as  in  ii.  3  ;  here,  however,  it  is 
suggested  by  the  metaphor  in  ver.  3,  cf.  Job  xxxix.  10;  LXX. 
av-^eva^;,  i.e.  P13y),  with  which  they  held  Israel  bound.  From 
that  which  has  just  been  experienced  Israel  derives  the  hope 
that  all  Zion's  haters  (a  newly  coined  name  for  the  enemies  of 
the  religion  of  Israel)  will  be  obliged  to  retreat  with  shame 
and  confusion. 

Vers.  6-8.  The  poet  illustrates  the  fate  that  overtakrs 
them  by  means  of  a  picture  borrowed  from  Isaiah  and  worked 
up  (ch.  xxxvii.  27)  :  they  become  like  "  grass  of  the  house- 
tops," etc.     ^'  is  a  relative  to  L"?)  {quod  exarescit),  and  Honp, 


300  PSALM  CXXIX.  6-8. 

priusguayn,  is  Hebraized  after  na^  riOTip-Jp  in  Dan.  vi.  11,  or 
nj-n  nmgo  in  Ezra  v.  11.  f\b^  elsewhere  has  the  signification 
"  to  draw  forth"  of  a  sword,  shoe,  or  arrow,  which  is  followed 
by  the  LXX.,  Theodotion,  and  the  Quinta  :  Trpo  tov  eKaira- 
a-Oijvac,  before  it  is  plucked.  But  side  by  side  with  the  iKa-ira- 
adrjvai  of  the  LXX.  we  also  find  the  reading  i^avOijaac ;  and 
in  this  sense  Jerome  renders  (statim  ut)  viruerit,  Symraachus 
iKKavXija-ai  (to  shoot  into  a  stalk),  Aquila  aveOakev^  the  Sexta 
eKarepewaai  (to  attain  to  full  solidity).  The  Targuni  para- 
phrases ^h^  in  both  senses :  to  shoot  up  and  to  pluck  off.  The 
former  signification,  after  which  Venema  interprets  :  antequam 
se  evaginet  vel  evaginetur,  i.e.  antequam  e  vaginulis  sids  se  evolvat 
et  succrescat,  is  also  advocated  by  Parchon,  Kimchi,  and  Aben- 
Ezra.  In  the  same  sense  von  Ortenberg  conjectures  ^^ne'. 
Since  the  grass  of  the  house-tops  or  roofs,  if  one  wishes  to  pull 
it  up,  can  be  pulled  up  just  as  well  when  it  is  withered  as 
when  it  is  green,  and  since  it  is  the  most  natural  thing  to  take 
n^xn  as  the  subject  to  f\b^,  we  decide  in  favour  of  the  intransi- 
tive signification,  "  to  put  itself  forth,  to  develope,  shoot  forth 
into  ear."  The  roof-grass  withers  before  it  has  put  forth  ears 
or  blossoms,  just  because  it  has  no  deep  root,  and  therefore 
cannot  stand  against  the  heat  of  the  sun.*  The  poet  pursues 
the  figure  of  the  grass  of  the  house-tops  still  further.  The 
encompassing  lap  or  bosom  (KoXTro'i)  is  called  elsewhere  |Vn 
(Isa.  xlix.  22,  Neh.  v.  13)  ;  here  it  is  i^'n,  like  the  Arabic  hidn 
(diminutive  liodein),  of  the  same  root  with  Tino,  a  creek,  in  cvii. 
30.  The  enemies  of  Israel  are  as  grass  upon  the  house-tops, 
which  is  not  garnered  in  ;  their  life  closes  with  sure  destruc- 
tion, the  germ  of  which  they  (without  any  need  for  any  rooting 
out)  carry  within  themselves.  The  observation  of  Knapp,  that 
any  Western  j)oet  would  have  left  off  with  ver.  G,  is  based 
upon  the  error  that  vers.  7,  8  are  an  idle  embellishment.  The 
greeting  addressed  to  the  reapers  in  ver.  8  is  taken  from  life  ; 
it  is  not  denied  even  to  heathen  reapers.    Similarly  Boaz  (Ruth 


*  So,  too,  Geigcr  in  the  Deutsche  Morgenlandisclc  Zeitschrift,  xiv.  278  f., 
according  to  whom  i^jl^  (i«_cLl)  occurs  in  Saadia  and  Abu-Said  in 
the  signification  "  to  be  in  the  first  maturity,  to  blossom," — a  sense  f]^i:} 
may  also  have  here ;  cf.  the  Talmudic  ^£2li5*j'  used  of  unripe  dates  that 
arc  still  in  blossom. 


PSALM  CXXX.  301 

ii.  4)  greets  tliem  with  "  Jahve  be  with  you,"  and  receives 
the  counter-salutation,  "  Jahve  bless  thee."  Here  it  is  the 
passers-by  who  call  out  to  those  who  are  harvesting :  Tlie 
blessi7ig  (ni")?)  of  Jahve  hajypeu  to  yoic  (D3  vS,*  as  in  the  Aaron- 
itish  blessing),  and  (since  "  we  bless  you  in  the  name  of 
Jahve"  would  be  a  purposeless  excess  of  politeness  in  the 
mouth  of  the  same  speakers)  receive  in  their  turn  the  counter- 
salutation  :  We  bless  you  in  the  name  of  Jahve.  As  a  contrast  it 
follows  that  there  is  before  the  righteous  a  garnering  in  of 
that  which  they  have  sown  amidst  the  exchange  of  joyful  bene- 
dictory greetings. 


PSALM    CXXX. 

DE   PROFUNDIS. 

1  OUT  of  the  depths  do  I  call  unto  Thee,  Jahve. 

2  Lord,  O  hearken  to  my  voice, 
Let  Thine  ears  be  attentive 

To  the  voice  of  my  supplication  ! 

3  If  Thou  keepest  iniquities,  Jah — 
Lord,  who  can  stand  ?  ! 

4  Yet  with  Thee  is  the  forgiveness, 
That  Thou  mayest  be  feared. 

5  /  hope  in  Jahve,  my  soul  hopeth,    • 
And  upon  His  word  do  I  wait. 

6  My  soul  waiteth  for  the  I-jord, 

More  than  the  night-watchers  for  the  morning^ 
The  night-watchers  for  the  morning. 

7  Wait,  Israel,  for  Jahve, 
For  with  Jahve  is  the  mercy. 

And  abundantly  is  there  with  Him  redemption. 

8  And  He  will  redeem  Israel 
From  all  its  iniquities. 


*  Here  and  there  U'^'^V  is  found  as  an  error  of  the  copyist.     Tho 
Hebrew  Psalter,  Basel  1547,  12mo,  notes  it  as  a  various  reading. 


302  PSALM  CXXX.  1-4. 

Luther,  being  once  asked  which  were  the  best  Psahns, 
replied,  Psalmi  Paulini ;  and  when  his  companions  at  table 
pressed  him  to  say  which  these  were,  he  answered  :  Ps.  xxxii,, 
li.,  CXXX.,  and  cxliii.  In  fact  in  Ps.  cxxx.  the  condemnability 
of  the  natural  man,  the  freeness  of  mercy,  and  the  spiritual 
nature  of  redemption  are  expressed  in  a  manner  thoroughly 
Pauline.  It  is  the  sixth  among  the  seven  Psalmi  poemtentiales 
(vi.,  xxxii.,  xxxviii.,  li.,  cii.,  cxxx.,  cxliii.). 

Even  the  chronicler  had  this  Psalm  before  him  in  the 
present  classification,  which  puts  it  near  to  Ps.  cxxxii. ;  for  the 
independent  addition  with  which  he  enriches  Solomon's  prayer 
at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple,  2  Chron.  vi.  40-42,  is  com- 
piled out  of  passages  of  Ps.  cxxx.  (ver.  2,  cf.  the  divine 
response,  2  Chron.  vii.  15)  and  Ps.  cxxxii.  (vers.  8,  16,  10). 

The  mutual  relation  of  Ps.  cxxx.  to  Ps.  Ixxxvi.  has  Ijeen 
already  noticed  there.  The  two  Psalms  are  first  attempts  at 
adding  a  third,  Adonajic  style  to  the  Jehovic  and  Elohimic 
Psalm-style.  There  Adonaj  is  repeated  seven  times,  and  three 
times  in  this  Psalm.  There  are  also  other  indications  that  the 
writer  of  Ps.  cxxx.  was  acquainted  with  that  Ps.  Ixxxvi.  (com- 
pare ver.  2a,  "hSp^  nj?nB',  with  Ixxxvi.  6,  ^ip2  nn^^'pni ;  ver.  2Z», 
^^^jnn  hS\h,  with  Ixxxvi.  6,  ^nij^jnri  ^ipa ;  ver.  4,  nn^bDri  ^ey^  with 
Ixxxvi.  b,  n^Dl;  ver.  8,  "^^nr}  'ncy,  with  Ixxxvi.  ^5,  15,  "iDp-an). 
The  fact  that  2Wi5  (after  the  form  ?^'2'^)  occurs  besides  only 
in  those  dependent  passages  of  the  chronicler,  and  3G'i5  only  in 
Neh.  i.  6,  11,  as  nn^D  besides  only  in  Dan.  ix.  9,  Neh.  ix.  17, 
brings  our  Psalm  down  into  a  later  period  of  the  language  ; 
and  moreover  Ps.  Ixxxvi.  is  not  Davidic. 

Vers.  1-4.  The  depths  (Q'i!"?J?0)  are  not  the  depths  of  the 
soul,  but  the  deep  outward  and  inward  distress  in  which  the 
poet  is  sunk  as  in  deep  waters  (Ixix.  3,  15).  Out  of  these 
depths  he  cries  to  the  God  of  salvation,  and  importunately 
prays  Him  who  rules  all  things  and  can  do  all  things  to  grant 
him  a  compliant  hearing  (3  VO^,  Gen.  xxi.  12,  xxvii.  13,  xxx.  6, 
and  other  passages).  God  hears  indeed  even  in  Himself,  as 
being  the  omniscient  One,  the  softest  and  most  secret  as  well 
as  the  loudest  utterance;  but,  as  Hilary  observes, ^Jes  oifficium 
mum  exsequitur^  ut  Dei  auditionem  roget,  nt  qui  per  naturain 
suaui  audit  per  (yrantis  precem  dignetur  audire.     In  this  sense 


PSALM  CXXX.  0-8.  303 

the  poet  prays  that  His  ears  may  be  turned  nuG'ip  (duller  col- 
lateral form  of  3^i?,  to  be  in  the  condition  of  arrecUe  aures), 
with  strained  attention,  to  iiis  loud  and  urgent  petition  (xxviii. 
2).  His  life  haufTS  upon  the  thread  of  the  divine  compassion. 
If  God  preserves  iniquities,  who  can  stand  before  Him?!  He 
preserves  them  ("ip'-^')  when  He  puts  them  down  to  one  (xxxii.  2) 
and  keeps  them  in  remembrance  (Gen.  xxxvii.  11),  or,  as  it  is 
figuratively  expressed  in  Job  xiv.  17,  sealed  up  as  it  were  in 
custody  in  order  to  punish  them  when  the  measure  is  full. 
The  inevitable  consequence  of  this  is  the  destruction  of  the 
sinner,  for  nothing  can  stand  against  the  punitive  justice  of 
God  (Nah.  i.  6,  Mai.  iii.  2,  Ezra  ix.  15).  If  God  should  show 
Himself  as  Jah,*  no  creature  would  be  able  to  stand  before 
Him,  who  is  AdoJiaj,  and  can  therefore  carry  out  His  judicial 
will  or  purpose  (Isa.  li.  16).  He  does  not,  however,  act  thus. 
Pie  does  not  proceed  according  to  the  legal  stringency  of  re- 
compensative  justice.  This  thought,  which  fills  up  the  pause 
after  the  question,  but  is  not  directly  expressed,  is  confirmed 
by  the  following  ^3,  which  therefore,  as  in  Job  xxii.  2,  xxxi.  18, 
xxxix.  14,  Isa.  xxviii.  28  (cf.  Eccles.  v.  6),  introduces  the  oppo- 
site. With  the  Lord  is  the  willingness  to  forgive  ('T^''^'?']),  in 
order  that  He  may  be  feared  ;  i.e.  He  forgives,  as  it  is  expressed 
elsewhere  (e.g.  Ixxix.  9),  for  His  Name's  sake  :  He  seeks  therein 
the  glorifying  of  His  Name.  He  will,  as  the  sole  Author  of 
our  salvation,  who,  putting  all  vain-glorying  to  shame,  causes 
mercy  instead  of  justice  to  take  its  course  with  us  (cf.  li.  6),  be 
reverenced  ;  and  gives  the  sinner  occasion,  ground,  and  material 
for  reverential  thanksgiving  and  praise  by  bestowing  "  for- 
giveness" upon  him  in  the  plenitude  of  absolutely  free  grace. 

Vers.  5-8.  Therefore  the  sinner  need  not,  therefore  too 
the  poet  will  not,  despair.  He  hopes  in  Jahve  (ace.  obj.  as  in 
XXV.  5,  21,  xl.  2),  his  soul  hopes;  hoping  in  and  waiting  upon 
God  is  the  mood  of  his  inmost  and  of  his  whole  being.  Pie 
waits  upon  God's  word,  the  word  of  His  salvation  (cxix.  81), 
which,  if  it  penetrates  into  the  soul  and  cleaves  there,  calms 


*  Eusebius  ou  Ps.  Ixviii.  (Ixvii.)  5  observes  that  the  Logos  is  called  '  I« 
as  /ctop^jjv  Oov>iOV  hot(3uv  K»t  ret;  XKrlvcii;  riis  tctvTov  6i6Tr,ro;  (jvarnhx:  kuI 
iiaTTip  KctTctovc:  iu  ru  aufi.ctri.  There  is  a  similar  passage  in  Viucentiua 
Ciconia  (15G7),  which  we  iutroduced  into  our  larger  Commentary  on  the 
Psalms  (1859- GO). 


304  PSALM  CXXX.  5-8. 

all  unrest,  and  by  the  appropriated  consolation  of  forgiveness 
transforms  and  enlightens  for  it  everything  in  it  and  outside 
of  it.  His  soul  is  ''pi^%  i.e.  stedfastly  and  continually  directed 
towards  Him  ;  as  Chr.  A.  Crusius  when  on  his  death-bed,  with 
hands  and  eyes  uplifted  to  heaven,  joyfully  exclaimed :  "  My 
soul  is  full  of  the  mercy  of  Jesus  Christ.  Mt/  whole  soul  is 
towards  God^  The  meaning  of  "JHSP  becomes  at  once  clear 
in  itself  from  cxliii.  6,  and  is  defined  moreover,  without  sup- 
plying nnOEr  (Hitzig),  according  to  the  following  "il^'3^.  To- 
wards the  Lord  he  is  expectantly  turned,  like  those  who  in  the 
night-time  wait  for  the  morning.  The  repetition  of  the  ex- 
pression "those  who  watch  for  the  morning"  (cf.  Isa.  xxi.  11) 
gives  the  impression  of  protracted,  painful  waiting.  The 
wrath,  in  the  sphere  of  which  the  poet  now  finds  himself,  is  a 
nightly  darkness,  out  of  which  he  wishes  to  be  removed  into 
the  sunny  realm  of  love  (Mai.  iii.  20  [iv.  2]) ;  not  he  alone, 
however,  but  at  the  same  time  all  Israel,  whose  need  is  the 
same,  and  for  whom  therefore  believing  waiting  is  likewise  the 
way  to  salvation.  With  Jahve,  and  with  Him  exclusively, 
with  Him,  however,  also  in  all  its  fulness,  is  "lonn  (contrary  to 
Ixii.  13,  without  any  pausal  change  in  accordance  with  the 
varying  of  the  segolates),  the  mercy,  which  removes  the  guilt 
of  sin  and  its  consequences,  and  puts  freedom,  peace,  and  joy 
into  the  heart.  And  plenteous  (n?"'.'!',  an  adverbial  infcn.  absoL, 
used  here,  as  in  Ezek.  xxi.  20,  as  an  adjective)  is  with  Him  re- 
demption ;  i.e.  He  possesses  in  the  richest  measure  the  willing- 
ness, the  power,  and  the  wisdom,  which  are  needed  to  procure 
redemption,  which  rises  up  as  a  wall  of  partition  (Ex.  viii.  19) 
between  destruction  and  those  imperilled.  To  Him,  therefore, 
must  the  individual,  if  he  will  obtain  mercy,  to  Him  must  His 
people,  look  up  hopingly ;  and  this  hope  directed  to  Him  shall 
not  be  put  to  shame :  He,  in  the  fulness  of  the  might  of  His 
free  grace  (Isa.  xliii.  25),  will  redeem  Israel  from  all  its  iniqui- 
ties, by  forgiving  them  and  removing  their  unhappy  inward 
and  outward  consequences.  With  this  promise  (cf.  xxv.  22) 
the  poet  comforts  himself.  He  means  complete  and  final  re- 
demption, above  all,  in  the  genuinely  New  Testament  manner, 
spiritual  redemption. 


PSALM  CXXXI.  305 

PSALM    CXXXI. 

CniLD-LIKE  RESIGNATION  TO  GOD. 

1  .TAHVE,  my  heart  is  not  haughty,  and  mine  eyes  are  not 
Neither  have  I  to  do  with  great  things  [l^fty> 
And  extraordinary  which  are  beyond  me. 

2  Verily  I  have  smootlied  down  and  calmed  my  soul ; 
Like  a  child  that  is  weaned  beside  its  mother, 

Like  the  child  that  is  weaned  is  my  soul  beside  me. 

3  Wait,  Israel,  upon  Jahve 
From  henceforth  and  for  ever. 

This  little  song  is  inscribed  ^^P  because  it  is  like  an  echo 
of  the  answer  (2  Sam.  vi.  21  sq.)  with  which  David  repelled 
the  mocking  observation  of  Michal  when  he  danced  before  the 
Ark  in  a  linen  epliod,  and  therefore  not  in  kingly  attire,  but  in 
the  common  raiment  of  the  priests :  /  esteem  myself  still  less 
than  I  now  show  it,  and  I  appear  base  in  mine  own  eyes.  In 
general  David  is  the  model  of  the  state  of  mind  which  the  poet 
expresses  here.  He  did  not  push  himself  forward,  but  suffered 
himself  to  be  drawn  forth  out  of  seclusion.  He  did  not  take 
possession  of  the  throne  violently,  but  after  Samuel  has  anointed 
him  he  willingly  and  patiently  traverses  the  long,  thorny,  cir- 
cuitous way  of  deep  abasement,  until  he  receives  from  God's 
hand  that  which  God's  promise  had  assured  to  him.  The  per- 
secution by  Saul  lasted  about  ten  years,  and  his  kingship  in 
Hebron,  at  first  only  incipient,  seven  years  and  a  half.  He 
left  it  entirely  to  God  to  remove  Saul  and  Ishbosheth.  He 
let  Shimei  curse.  He  left  Jerusalem  before  Absalom.  Sub- 
mission to  God's  guidance,  resignation  to  His  dispensations, 
contentment  with  that  which  was  allotted  to  him,  are  the 
distinguisiiing  traits  of  his  noble  character,  which  the  poet  of 
this  Psalm  indirectly  holds  up  to  himself  and  to  his  cotempo- 
raries  as  a  mirror,  viz.  to  the  Israel  of  the  period  after  the  Exile, 
which,  in  connection  with  small  beginnings  under  difficult 
circumstances,  had  been  taught  humbly  contented  and  calm 
waiting. 

VOL.  IIL  20 


306  PSALM  CXXXf. 

With  ^3?  nnrxb  the  poet  repudiates  pride  as  being  the  state 
of  his  soul ;  with  "'^^V  lO"i"N?  (lo-ramu  as  in  Prov.  xxx.  13,  and 
before  Ajiii,  e.g.,  also  in  Gen.  xxvi.  10,  Isa.  xi.  2,  in  accordance 
with  which  the  erroneous  placing  of  the  accent  in  Baer's  text 
is  to  be  corrected),  pride  of  countenance  and  bearing ;  and 
with  "'riD?n"N?"i,  pride  of  endeavour  and  mode  of  action.  Pride 
has  its  seat  in  the  heart,  in  the  eyes  especially  it  finds  its  ex- 
pression, and  great  things  are  its  sphere  in  which  it  diligently 
exercises  itself.  The  opposite  of  "  great  things"  (Jer.  xxiii.  3, 
xlv.  5)  is  not  that  which  is  little,  mean,  but  that  which  is  small; 
and  the  opposite  of  ''  things  too  wonderful  for  me"  (Gen.  xviii. 
14)  is  not  that  which  is  trivial,  but  that  which  is  attainable. 

NP"DN  does  not  open  a  conditional  protasis,  for  where  is  the 
indication  of  the  apodosis  to  be  found  ?  Nor  does  it  signify 
"  but,"  a  meaning  it  also  has  not  in  Gen.  xxiv.  38,  Ezek.  iii.  6. 
In  these  passages  too,  as  in  the  passage  before  us,  it  is  asseve- 
rating, being  derived  from  the  usual  formula  of  an  oath  :  verily 
I  have,  etc.  nVk^  signifies  (Isa.  xxviii.  25)  to  level  the  surface  of 
a  field  by  ploughing  it  up,  and  has  an  ethical  sense  here,  like 
~iK'^  with  its  opposites  3py  and  ^SV.  The  Poel  Dpi"^  is  to  be  un- 
derstood according  to  n'O^'n  in  Ixii.  2,  and  DOIl  in  Lam.  iii.  26. 
He  has  levelled  or  made  smooth  his  soul,  so  that  humility  is  its 
entire  and  uniform  state  ;  he  has  calmed  it  so  that  it  is  silent 
and  at  rest,  and  lets  God  speak  and  work  in  it  and  for  it:  it 
is  like  an  even  surface,  and  like  the  calm  surface  of  a  lake. 
Ewald  and  Hupfeld's  rendering :  "  as  a  weaned  child  on  its 
mother,  so  my  soul,  being  weaned,  lies  on  me,"  is  refuted 
by  the  consideration  that  it  ought  at  least  to  be  np^iDJS,  but 
more  correctly  n?lDJ  ]3  ;  but  it  is  also  besides  opposed  by  the 
article  which  is  swallowed  up  in  •'^33^  according  to  which  it  is 
to  be  rendered :  like  one  weaned  beside  its  mother  (here  b"iOJ3 
on  account  of  the  determinative  collateral  definition),  like  the 
weaned  one  Hiere  -^I^^S  because  without  any  collateral  defini- 
tion :  cf.,  with  Hitzig,  Deut.  xxxii.  2,  and  the  like ;  moreover, 
also,  because  referring  back  to  the  first  ^IDJ,  cf.  Hab.  iii.  8),  is 
my  soul  beside  me  (Hitzig,  Hengstenberg,  and  most  expositors). 
As  a  weaned  child — viz.  not  one  that  is  only  just  begun  to  be 
weaned,  but  an  actually  weaned  child  (^pj,  cognate  "ip3,  to 
bring  to  an  end,  more  particularly  to  bring  suckling  to  an  end, 
to  wean) — lies  upon  its  mother  without  crying  impatiently  and 


rsALM  cxxxii.  3(''7 

craving  for  its  mother's  breast,  but  contented  with  tlie  fact 
that  it  lias  its  mother — like  such  a  weaned  child  is  his  soul 
upon  him,  i.e.  in  relation  to  his  Ego  (which  is  conceived  of 
in  vV  as  having  the  soul  upon  itself,  cf.  xlii.  7,  Jer.  viii.  18 ; 
Psychologii,  S.  151  f.,  tr.  p.  180) :  his  soul,  which  is  by  nature 
restless  and  craving,  is  stilled ;  it  does  not  long  after  earthly 
enjoyment  and  earthly  good  that  God  should  give  these  to  it, 
but  it  is  satisfied  in  the  fellowship  of  God,  it  finds  full  satis- 
faction in  Him,  it  is  satisfied  (satiated)  in  Him. 

By  the  closing  strain,  ver.  3,  the  individual  language  of  the 
Psalm  comes  to  have  a  reference  to  the  congregation  at  hirge. 
Israel  is  to  renounce  all  self-boasting  and  all  self-activity,  and 
to  wait  in  lowliness  and  quietness  upon  its  God  from  now  and 
for  evermore.  For  He  resisteth  the  proud,  but  giveth  grac3 
unto  the  humble. 


PSALM   CXXXII. 

PRAYER  FOR  THE  HOUSE  OF  GOD  AND  THE  HOUSE 
OF  DAVID. 

1  REMEMBER,  Jahve,  to  David 
All  the  trouble  endured  by  him, 

2  Him  who  hath  sworn  unto  Jahve, 

Hath  vowed  unto  tlie  Mighty  One  of  Jacoh : 
o  "  I  will  not  enter  into  the  tent  of  my  house, 
I  will  not  go  up  to  the  bed  of  my  couch ; 

4  I  will  not  give  sleep  to  mine  eyes. 
Slumber  to  mine  eyelids, 

5  Until  I  find  a  place  for  Jahve, 

A  dwelling-tent  for  tlie  Mighty  One  of  Jacob!*' 

0  Behold  it  was,  we  heard  it,  in  Ephirithali, 
We  found  it  in  the  fields  of  Ja'ar. 

7  So  let  us  go  into  His  dwelling-tunt, 

Let  us  prostrate  ourselves  before  His  footstool. 

8  Arise,  Jahve,  to  Thy  rest. 

Thou  and  the  Ark  of  Thy  mnjesty  I 


308  PSALM  CXXXII. 

9  Let  Thy  priests  clothe  themselves  with  righteousnesSf 
And  Thy  saints  shout  for  joy. 

10  For  the  sake  of  David  Tliy  servant 
Turn  not  back  the  face  of  Thine  anointed ! 

11  Jahve  hath  sworn  to  David 

In  truth  that  which  He  will  not  recall : 

"  Of  the  fruit  of  thy  body 

Do  I  appoint  a  possessor  of  thy  throne. 

12  If  thy  children  keep  My  covenant 

And  My  testimony,  which  I  teach  them : 
Their  children  also  shall  for  ever 
Sit  upon  thy  throne." 

13  For  Jahve  hath  chosen  Zion, 

He  hath  desired  it  as  an  abode  for  Himself. 

14  "  This  is  my  rest  for  ever, 

Here  will  I  dwell,  for  1  have  desired  it.'" 

15  Her  provision  will  I  bless  abundantly, 
Her  poor  will  I  satisfy  with  bread, 

16  And  her  priests  ivill  I  clothe  tvith  salvation, 
And  her  saints  shall  shout  aloud  for  joy. 

17  There  will  I  make  a  horn  to  shoot  forth  for  David, 
I  will  prepare  a  lamp  for  mine  anointed. 

18  His  enemies  will  I  clothe  with  shame, 
And  upon  himself  shall  his  crown  blossom. 

Ps.  cxxxi.  designedly  precedes  Ps.  cxxxii.  The  former  has 
grown  out  of  the  memory  of  an  utterance  of  David  when  he 
brought  home  the  Ark,  and  the  latter  begins  with  the  remem- 
brance of  David's  humbly  zealous  endeavour  to  obtain  a  settled 
and  worthy  abode  for  the  God  who  sits  enthroned  above  the 
Ark  among  His  people.  It  is  the  only  Psalm  in  which  the 
sacred  Ark  is  mentioned.  The  chronicler  put  vers.  8-10  into 
the  mouth  of  Solomon  at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple  (2  Chron. 
vi.  41  sq.).  After  a  passage  borrowed  from  Ps.  cxxx.  2  which 
is  attached  by  nriy  to  Solomon's  Temple-dedication  prayer,  he 
appends  furtlier  borrowed  passages  out  of  Ps.  cxxxii.  with  nnyi. 
The  variations  in  these  verses  of  the  Psalms,  which  are  annexed 
by  him  with  a  free  hand  and  from  memory  {Jahve  Elohim  for 


PSALM  CXXXII.  309 

Jalive,  ^™S»  for  "^^n^"-!',  ^VVJ'n  for  P"iv,  3itj3  ',r.;^l;";  for  i:.p.'), 
just  as  much  prove  that  he  has  altered  the  Psalm,  and  not 
reversely  (as  Hitzig  persistently  maintains),  that  the  psalmist 
has  borrowed  from  the  Chronicles.  .  It  is  even  still  distinctly 
to  be  seen  how  the  memory  of  Isa.  Iv.  3  has  influenced  the  close 
of  ver.  42  in  the  chronicler,  just  as  the  memory  of  Isa.  Iv.  2 
has  perhaps  also  influenced  the  close  of  ver.  41. 

The  psalmist  supplicates  the  divine  favour  for  the  anointed 
of  Jahve  for  David's  sake.     In  this  connection  this  anointed 
one  is  neither  the  high   priest,  nor  Israel,  which  is  never  so 
named  {vid.  Hab.  iii.  13),  nor  David  himself,  who  "  in  all  the 
necessities  of  his  race  and  people  stands  before  God,"  as  Heng- 
stenberg  asserts,  in   order  to  be  able  to  assign  this  Song  of 
degrees,  as  others,  likewise  to  the  post-exilic  time  of  the  new 
colony.     Zerubbabel  might  more  readily  be  understood  (Baur), 
with  whom,  according  to  the  closing  prophecy  of  the  Book  of 
Haggai,  a  new  penod  of  the  Davidic  dominion  is  said  to  begin. 
But  even  Zerubbabel,  the  nn^n^  rinsij  could  not  be  called  n'^^'O., 
for  this  he  was  not.      The  chronicler  applies  the  Psalm  in 
accordance  with  its  contents.      It  is  suited  to  the  mouth  of 
Solomon.     The  view  that  it  was  composed  by  Solomon  himself\ 
when  the  Ark  of  the  covenant  was  removed  out  of  the  tent-   \ 
temple  on    Zion   into   the   Temple-building    (Amyraldus,   De     ) 
"Wette,  Tholuck,  and  others),  is  favoured  by  the  relation  of  the 
circumstances,  as  they  are  narrated  in  2  Chron.  v.  5  sqq  ,  to  the  / 
desires  of  the  Psalm,  and  a  close  kinship  of  the  Psalm  with  Ps.  \ 
Ixxii.  in  breadth,  repetitions  of  words,  and  a  laboured  forward    I ' 
movement   which    is    here    and    there  a    somewhat   uncertain 
advance.      At  all   events   it   belongs  to  a  time  in  which  the 
Davidic  throne  was  still  standing  and  the  sacred  Ark  was  not 
as  yet  irrecoverably  lost.     That  which,  according  to  2  Sam. 
ch.  vi.,  vii.,  David  did  for  the  glory  of  Jahve,  and  on  the  other 
hand  is  promised  to  him  by  Jahve,  is  here  made  by  a  post- 
Davidic    poet  into  the    foundation  of  a  hopeful   intercessory 
prayer  for  the  kingship  and  priesthood  of  Zion  and  the  church 
presided  over  by  both. 

The  Psalm  consists  of  four  ten-line  strophes.  Only  in  con- 
nection with  the  first  could  any  objection  be  raised,  and  the 
strophe  be  looked  upon  as  only  consisting  of  nine  lines.  But 
the  other  strophes  decide  the  question  of  its  measure ;  and  the 


310  PSALM  CXXXII.  1-5. 

breaking  up  of  the  weighty  ver.  1  into  two  lines  follows  the 
accentuation,  which  divides  it  into  two  parts  and  places  JlN  by 
itself  as  being  nx  (according  to  Accentssystem,  xviii.  2,  with 
Mugrasli).  Each  strophe  is  adorned  once  with  the  name  of 
David;  and  moreover  the  step-like  progress  which  comes  back 
to  what  has  been  said,  and  takes  up  the  thread  and  carries  it 
forward,  cannot  fail  to  be  recognised. 

Vers,  1--5.  One  is  said  to  remember  anything  to  another 
when  he  requites  him  something  that  he  has  done  for  him,  or 
when  he  does  for  him  what  he  has  promised  him.  It  is  the  post- 
Davidic  church  which  here  reminds  Jahve  of  the  hereinafter 
mentioned  promises  (of  the  "  mercies  of  David,"  2  Chron.  vi. 
42,  cf.  Isa.  Iv.  3)  with  which  He  has  responded  to  David's  rii^V. 
By  this  verbal  substantive  of  the  Pual  is  meant  all  the  care  and 
trouble  which  David  had  in  order  to  procure  a  worthy  abode 
for  the  sanctuary  of  Jahve.  3  njy  signifies  to  trouble  or  harass 
one's  self  about  anything,  affiicfari  (as  frequently  in  the  Book 
of  Ecclesiastes)  ;  the  Pualhere  denotes  the  self-imposed  trouble, 
or  even  that  imposed  by  outward  circumstances7~such  as  the 
tedious  wars,  of  long,  unsuccessful,  and  yet  never  relaxed 
endeavours  (1  Kings  v.  17  [3]).  For  he  had  vowed  unto  God 
that  he  would  give  himself  absolutely  no  rest  until  he  had 
obtained  a  fixed  abode  for  Jahve.  What  he  said  to  Nathan 
(2  Sam.  vii.  2)  is  an  indication  of  this  vowed  resolve,  which 
was  now  in  a  time  of  triumphant  peace,  as  it  seemed,  ready  for 
being  carried  out,  after  the  first  step  towards  it  had  already 
been  taken  in  the  removal  of  the  Ark  of  the  covenant  to  Zion 
(2  Sam.  ch.  vi.)  ;  for  2  Sam.  ch.  vii.  is  appended  to  2  Sam.  ch. 
vi.  out  of  its  chronological  order  and  only  on  account  of  the 
internal  connection.  After  the  bringing  home  of  the  Ark, 
which  had  been  long  yearned  for  (cf.  ci.  2),  and  did  not  take 
place  without  difficulties  and  terrors,  was  accomplished,  a  series 
of  years  again  passed  over,  during  which  David  always  carried 
about  with  him  the  thought  of  erecting  God  a  Temple-building. 
And  when  he  had  received  the  tidings  through  Nathan  that  he 
should  not  build  God  a  house,  but  that  it  should  be  done  by  his 
son  and  successor,  he  nevertheless  did  as  much  towards  the 
carrying  out  of  the  desire  of  his  heart  as  was  possible  in  con- 
nection with  this  declaration  of  the  will  of  Jahve.     He  conse- 


PSALM  CXXXII.  G-10.  311 

crateJ  the  site  of  the  future  Temple,  he  procured  the  necessary 
means  and  materials  for  the  building  of  it,  he  made  all  the 
necessary  arrangements  for  the  future  Temple-service,  he  in- 
spirited the  people  for  the  gigantic  work  of  building  that  was 
before  them,  and  handed  over  to  his  son  the  model  for  it,  as  it 
is  all  related  to  us  in  detail  by  the  chronicler.  The  divine  name 
"  the  mighty  One  of  Jacob"  is  taken  from  Gen.  xlix,  24,  as  in 
Isa.  i.  24,  xlix.  20,  Ix.  16.  The  Philistines  with  their  Dagon 
had  been  made  to  feel  this  mighty  Kock  of  Jacob  when  they 
took  the  sacred  Ark  along  with  them  (1  Sam.  ch.  v.).  AVith  j 
DX  David  solemnly  declares  what  he  is  resolved  not  to  do.  The 
meaning  of  the  hyperbolically  expressed  vow  in  the  form  of  an 
oath  is  that  for  so  long  he  will  not  rejoice  at  his  own  dwelling- 
house,  nor  give  himself  up  to  sleep  that  is  free  from  anxiety  ; 
in  fine,  for  so  long  he  will  not  rest.  The  genitives  after  i'^N 
and  t>'"iy  are  appositional  genitives;  Ps.  xliv.  delights  in  similar 
combinations  of  synonyms.  ""ifVi'^  (Latin  strata  med)  is  a  poeti- 
cal plural,  as  also  is  riiistt'p.  With  noi]n  (which  is  always  said 
of  the  eyelids.  Gen.  xxxi.  40,  Prov.  vi.  4,  Eccles.  viii.  16,  not 
of  the  eyes)  alternates  rirw'  (according  to  another  reading  nr^^) 
for  ny^.  The  dtli  is  the  same  as  in  ripm  in  xvi.  6,  cf.  Ix.  13, 
Ex.  XV.  2,  and  frequently.  This  Aramaizing  rejection  of  the 
syllable  before  the  tone  is,  however,  without  example  else- 
where. The  LXX.  adds  to  ver.  4,  koX  dvdiravcnv  rot?  Kpord- 
</>ot9  fjiov  Cpip"]?  nmjpi),  but  this  is  a  disagreeable  overloading 
of  the  verse. 

Vers.  6-10.  In  ver.  6  begins  the  language  of  the  church, 
which  in  this  Psalm  reminds  Jahve  of  His  promises  and  com- 
forts itself  with  them.  Olshausen  regards  this  ver.  6  as  alto- 
gether inexplicable.  The  interpretation  nevertheless  has  some 
safe  starting-points.  (1)  Since  the  subject  spoken  of  is  the 
founding  of  a  fixed  sanctuary,  and  one  worthy  of  Jahve,  the 
suffix  of  niU;J?"^  (with  Chateph  as  in  Hos.  viii.  2,  Ew.  §  GO,  a)  and 
ni:xYO  refers  to  the  Ark  of  the  covenant,  which  is  fern,  also  in 
other  instances  (1  Sam.  iv.  17,  2  Chron.  viii.  11).  (2)  The 
Ark  of  the  covenant,  fetched  up  out  of  Shiloh  by  the  Israelites 
to  the  battle  at  Ebenezer,  fell  into  the  hands  of  tlie  victors,  and 
I'emained,  having  been  again  given  up  by  them,  for  twenty 
years  in  Kirjath-.Jearim  (1  Sam.  vii.  1  sq.),  until  David  removed 
it  out  of  this  Judajiin  district  to  Zion  (2  Sam.  vi.  2-4 ;  cf. 


312  PSALM  CXXXII.  G-10. 

2  Chron.  i.  4).  What  is  then  more  natural  than  that  ■>y"'7''l''f' 
is  a  poetical  appellation  of  Klrjath-Jearim  (cf .  "  the  field  of 
Zoan  "  in  Ixxviii.  12)  ?  Kirjath-Jearim  has,  as  a  general  thing, 
very  varying  names.  It  is  also  called  Kirjath-ha-jeariin  in  Jer. 
xxvi.  20  (Kirjath-arim  in  Ezra  ii.  25,  cf.  Josh,  xviii.  28), 
Kirjath-haal  in  Josh.  xv.  60,  Baalah  in  Josh.  xv.  9,  1  Chron. 
xiii.  6  (cf.  Har-ha-ha  alahj  Josh.  xv.  11,  with  Har-Jearim  in 
Josh.  XV.  10),  and,  as  it  seems,  even  BdaU  Jehudah  in  2  Sam. 
vi.  2.  Why  should  it  not  also  have  been  called  Jaar  side  by 
side  with  Kirjath-Jearim^  and  more  especially  if  the  moun- 
tainous district,  to  which  the  mention  of  a  hill  and  mountain 
of  Jearim  points,  was,  as  the  name  "city  of  the  wood"  implies, 
at  the  same  time  a  wooded  district?  We  therefore  fall  in  with  ^ 
Kuhnol's  (17^>9)  rendering:  we  found  it  in  the  meadows  of 
Jaar,  and  with  his  remark:  "  Jaarjs  a  shortened  name  of  the 
city  of  Kirjath-Jearim." 

The  question  now  further  arises  as  to  what  Ephrathali  is 
intended  to  mean.  This  is  an  ancient  name  of  Bethlehem  ; 
but  the  Ark  of  the  covenant  never  was  in  Bethlehem.  Accord- 
ingly Hengstenberg  interprets,  "  We  knew  of  it  in  Bethlehem 
(where  David  had  spent  his  youth)  only  by  hearsay,  .no  one 
had  seen  it ;  we  found  it  in  Kirjath-Jearim,  yonder  in  the 
wooded  environs  of  the  city,  where  it  was  as  it  were  buried  in 
darkness  and  solitude."  So  even  Anton  Hulsius  (1G50):  Ipse 
David  loquitur,  qui  dicit  illam  ipsam  arcam,  de  qua  quum  adhuc 
Bethlehemi  versaretur  inaudicisset,  postea  a  se  (vel  majoribus  suis 
ipso  adhuc  minorenni)  inventam  fuisse  in  campis  Jaar.  But  (1) 
the  supposition  that  David's  words  are  continued  here  does 
not  harmonize  with  the  way  in  which  they  are  introduced  in 
ver.  2,  according  to  which  they  cannot  possibly  extend  beyond 
the  vow  that  follows.  (2)  If  the  church  is  speaking,  one  does 
not  see  why  Bethlehem  is  mentioned  in  particular  as  the  place 
of  the  hearsay.  (^)  We  heard  it  in  Epliratliah  cannot  well 
mean  anything  else  than,  per  antiptosin  (as  in  Gen.  i.  4,  but 
without  ■'3),  we  heard  that  it  was  in  Ephrathah.  But  the  Ark' 
was  before  Kirjath-Jearim  in  Shiloh.  The  former  lay  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah  close  to  the  western  borders  of  Benjamin,  the 
latter  in  the  midst  of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim..  Now  since  ''Ol^'^^ 
quite  as  often  means  an  Ephraimite  as  it  does  a  Bethlehemite, 
it  may  be  asked  whether  Ephrathah  is  not  intended  of  the 


PSALM  CXXXII.  C-  10.  313 

Eyjliraiinitisli  territory  (Kiihnol,  Gesenius,  Maurer,  Tlioluck, 
and  others).  The  meaninir  would  then  be  :  we  had  lieard  that 
the  sacred  Ark  was  in  ShiToh,  but  we  found  it  not  there^  but 
in  Kirjath-Jearira.  And  we  can  easily  understand  why  the 
poet  has  mentioned  the  two  places  just  in  this  way.  EphrcUh, 
according  to  its  etymon,  is  fruitful  fields,  with  wiiich  are  con- 
trasted the  fields  of  the  wood — the  sacred  Ark  had  fallen  from 
its  original,  more  worthy  abode,  as  it  were,  into  the  wilderness. 
But  is  it  probable,  more  especially  in  view  of  ^Mic.  v.  1,  that  in 
a  connection  in  which  the  memory  of  David  is  the  ruling  idea, 
Ephrathah  signifies  the  land  of  Ephraim?  No,  Ephrathali 
is  the  name  of  the  district  in  which  Kirjath-Jearlm  lay. 
Caleb  had,  for  instance,  by  Ephrath,  his  third  wife,  a  son 
named  Hur  (Chur),  1  Ciiron.  ii.  19.  This  Hur,  the  first-born 
of  Ephrathah,  is  the  father  of  the  population  of  Bethlehem 
(1  Chron.  iv.  4),  and  Shobal,  a  son  of  this  Hur,  is  father  of 
the  population  of  Kirjath-Jearim  (1  Chron.  ii.  50).  Kirjath- 
Jearini  is  therefore,  so  to  speak,  the  daughter  of  Bethlehem. 
This  was  called  Ephrathah  in  ancient  times,  and  this  name 
of  Bethlehem  became  the  name  of  its  district  (Mic.  v.  1). 
Kiijath-Jearim  belonged  to  Caleh-Ephrailiah  (1  Chron.  ii.  24), 
as  the  northern  part  of  this  district  seems  to  have  been  called 
in  distinction  from  Negeb-Caleh  (1  Sam.  xxx.  14). 

But  vrii:3*;^p  in  ver.  7  is  now  neither  a  designation  of  the 
house  of  Abiiiadab  in  Kirjath-Jearim,  for  the  expression  would 
be  too  grand,  and  in  relation  to  ver.  5  even  confusing,  nor  a 
designation  of  the  Salonionic  Temple-building,  for  the  expres- 
sion standing  thus  by  itself  is  not  enough  alone  to  designate  it. 
What  is  meant  will  therefore  be  the  tent-teinple  erected  by 
David  for  the  Ark  when  removed  to  Zion  (2  Sam.  vii.  2,  ^Ty). 
The  church  arouses  itself  to  enter  this,  and  to  prostrate  itself 
in  adoration  towards  {vid.  xcix.  5)  the  footstool  of  Jahve,  i.e. 
the  Ark;  and  to  what  purpose?  The  Ark  of  the  covenant  is 
now  to  have  a  place  more  worthy  of  it;  the  "^v^^^j  ^•'^-  ^^^^ 
nm:p  IT'S,  1  Chron.  xxviii.  2,  in  which  David's  endeavours 
have  through  Solomon  reached  their  goal,  is  erected  :  let  Jahve 
and  the  Ark  of  His  sovereign  power,  that  may  not  be  touched 
(see  the  examples  of  its  inviolable  character  in  1  Sam.  ch.  v., 
vi.,  2  Sam.  vi.  G  sq.),  now  enter  this  fixed  abode!  Let  His 
priests  who  are  to  serve  Him  there  clothe  themselves  in  "right- 


314  rSALM  CXXXII.  11-13. 

eousness,"  i.e.  in  conduct  that  is  according  to  His  will  and 
pleasure;  let  His  saints,  who  shall  there  seek  and  find  mercy, 
shout  for  joy  !  More  especially,  however,  let  Jahve  for  David's 
sake,  His  servant,  to  whose  restless  longing  this  place  of  rest 
owes  its  origin,  not  turn  back  the  face  of  His  anointed  one,  i.e. 
not  reject  his  face  which  there  turns  towards  Him  in  the 
attitude  of  prayer  (cf.  Ixxxiv.  10).  The  chronicler  has  under- 
stood ver.  10  as  an  intercession  on  behalf  of  Solomon,  and  the 
situation  into  which  we  are  introduced  by  vers.  6-8  seems  to 
require  this.  It  is,  however,  possible  that  a  more  recent  poet 
here,  in  vers.  7,  8,  reproduces  words  taken  from  the  heart  of 
the  church  in  Solomon's  time,  and  blends  petitions  of  the  church 
of  the  present  with  them.  The  subject  all  through  is  the 
church,  which  is  ever  identical  although  changing  in  the  per- 
sons of  its  members.  The  Israel  that  brought  the  sacred  Ark 
out  of  Kirjath-Jearim  to  Zion  and  accompanied  it  thence  to 
the  Temple-hill,  and  now  worships  in  the  sanctuary  raised  by 
David's  zeal  for  the  glory  of  Jahve,  is  one  and  the  same.  The 
prayer  for  the  priests,  for  all  the  saints,  and  more  especially 
for  the  reigning  king,  that  then  resounded  at  the  dedication  of 
the  Temple,  is  continued  so  long  as  the  history  of  Israel  lasts, 
even  in  a  time  when  Israel  has  no  king,  but  has  all  the  stronger 
longing  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  Messianic  promise. 

Vers.  11-13.  The  "for  the  sake  of  David"  is  here  set 
forth  in  detail.  ri»N  in  ver.  11a  is  not  the  accusative  of  the 
object,  but  an  adverbial  accusative.  The  first  member  of  the 
verse  closes  with  TiT?,  which  has  the  distinctive  Paze?',  which  is 
preceded  by  Legarmeh  as  a  sub-distinctive ;  then  follows  at  the 
head  of  the  second  member  HON  with  Zinnor,  then  nserp  ni{i'^"N7 
with  Olewejored  and  its  conjunctive  G algal,  which  regularly 
precedes  after  the  sub-distinctive  Zinnor.  The  suffix  of  '12^0 
refers  to  that  which  was  affirmed  by  oath,  as  in  Jer.  iv.  28. 
Lineal  descendants  of  David  will  Jahve  place  on  the  throne 
(NDsp  like  'C'N"i7  in  xxi.  4)  to  him,  i.e.  so  that  they  shall  follow 
him  as  possessors  of  the  throne.  David's  children  shall  for 
ever  (which  has  been  finally  fulfilled  in  Christ)  sit  ND3p  to  him 
(cf.  ix.  5,  Job  xxxvi.  7).  Thus  has  Jahve  promised,  and  ex- 
pects in  return  from  the  sons  of  David  the  observance  of  His 
Law.  Instead  of  =ir  ^rpv  it  is  pointed  iT  Wy,  In  Hahn's 
edition  ''O'ly  has  Mercha  in  the  penult,  (cf.  the  retreat  of  the 


PSALM  CXXXII.  11-18.  315 

tone  in  n?  ^^i^:,  Dan.  x.  17),  and  in  Baer's  edition  tlie  still 
Letter  attested  reading  Mahpach  instead  of  the  counter-tone 
Metlieg,  and  Mercha  on  tlie  ultima.  It  is  not  plural  with  u 
singular  suffix  (of.  Deut.  xxviii.  59,  Ges.  §  91,  3),  but,  as  ir 
=  nxi  indicates,  the  singular  for  ^n^lV,  like  '•nin^  for  "^^^nn  in 
2  Kings  vi.  8 ;  and  signifies  the  revelation  of  God  as  an  attes- 
tation of  His  will.  DI.W^.  has  Mercha  malqyach.,  Xi  Rebia 
parvum,  and  'ri'iy  Mercha ;  and  according  to  the  interpunction 
it  would  have  to  be  rendered  :  "  and  My  self-attestation  there  " 
(vid.  on  ix.  16),  but  iT  is  relative:  My  self-attestation  (revela- 
tion), which  I  teach  them.  The  divine  words  extend  to  the 
end  of  ver.  12.  The  hypotheses  with  DX,  as  the  fulfilment  in 
history  shows,  were  conditions  of  the  continuity  of  the  Davidic 
succession ;  not,  however, — because  human  unfaithfulness  does 
not  annul  the  faithfulness  of  God, — of  the  endlessness  of  the 
Davidic  throne.  In  ver.  13  the  poet  states  the  ground  of  such 
promissory  mercy.  It  is  based  on  the  universal  mercy  of  the 
election  of  Jerusalem.  n^X  has  He  mappic.  like  ^\V  in  Deut. 
xxii.  29,  or  the  stroke  of  Raplie  (Evv.  §  2-47,  d),  although  the 
suffix  is  not  absolutely  necessary.  In  the  following  strophe 
the  purport  of  the  election  of  Jerusalem  is  also  unfolded  in 
Jahve's  own  words. 

Vers.  14-18.  Shiloh  has  been  rejected  (Ixxviii.  60),  for  a 
time  only  was  the  sacred  Ark  in  Bethel  (Judg.  xx.  27)  and 
^lizpah  (Judg.  xxi.  5),  only  somewhat  over  twenty  years  was 
it  sheltered  by  the  house  of  Abinadab  in  Kirjath-Jearim 
(1  Sam.  vii.  2),  only  three  months  by  the  house  of  Obed-Edom 
in  Perez-Uzzah  (2  Sam.  vi.  11) — but  Zion  is  Jahve's  abiding 
dwelling-place,  His  own  proper  settlement,  nm:o  (as  in  Isa. 
xi.  10,  Ixvi.  1,  and  besides  1  Chron.  xxviii.  2).  In  Zion,  His 
chosen  and  beloved  dwelling-place,  Jahve  blesses  everything 
that  belongs  to  her  temporal  need  ('"^"^'V!  for  '"^n^.t,  vid.  on  xxvii. 
5,  note) ;  so  that  her  poor  do  not  suffer  want,  for  divine  love 
loves  the  poor  most  especially.  His  second  blessing  refers  to 
the  priests,  for  by  means  of  these  He  will  keep  up  His  inter- 
course with  His  people.  He  makes  the  priesthood  of  Zion  a 
real  institution  of  salvation  :  He  clothes  her  priests  with  salva- 
tion, so  that  they  do  not  merely  bring  it  about  instrumen tally, 
but  personally  possess  it,  and  their  whole  outward  appearance 
is  one  which  proclaims  salvation.     And  to  all  her  saints  He 


316  PSALM  CXXXIII. 

gives  cause  and  matter  for  high  and  lasting  joy,  by  making 
Himself  known  also  to  the  church,  in  which  He  has  taken 
lip  His  abode,  in  deeds  of  mercy  (loving-kindness  or  grace). 
There  (^f,  cxxxiii.  3)  in  Zion  is  indeed  the  kingship  of  pro- 
mise, which  cannot  fail  of  fulfilment.  He  will  cause  a  horn 
to  shoot  forth,  He  will  prepare  a  lamp,  for  the  house  of  David, 
which  David  hei'e  represents  as  being  its  ancestor  and  the 
anointed  one  of  God  reigning  at  that  time ;  and  all  who  hostilely 
rise  up  against  David  in  his  seed.  He  will  cover  with  shame  as 
with  a  garment  (Job  viii.  22),  and  the  crown  consecrated  by 
promise,  which  the  seed  of  David  wears,  shall  blossom  like  an 
unfading  wreath.  The  horn  is  an  emblem  of  defensive  might 
and  victorious  dominion,  and  the  lamp  (i?.,  2  Sam.  xxi.  17,  cf 
"i''J,  2  Chron.  xxi.  7,  LXX.  \v')(yov)  an  emblem  of  brilliant 
dignity  and  joyfulness.  In  view  of  Ezek.  xxix.  21,  of  the 
predictions  concerning  the  Branch  (zemach)  in  Isa.  iv.  2,  Jer. 
xxiii.  5,  xxxiii.  15,  Zech.  iii.  8,  vi.  12  (cf.  Heb.  vii.  14),  and  of 
the  fifteenth  Beracha  of  the  Shemone-Esre  (the  daily  Jewish 
prayer  consisting  of  eighteen  benedictions) :  "  make  the  branch 
(zemach)  of  David  Thy  servant  to  shoot  forth  speedily,  and  let 
his  horn  rise  high  by  virtue  of  Thy  salvation," — it  is  hardly  to 
be  doubted  that  the  poet  attached  a  Messianic  meaning  to  this 
promise.  With  reference  to  our  Psalm,  Zacharias,  the  father 
of  John  the  Baptist,  changes  that  supplicatory  beracha  of  his 
nation  (Luke  i.  68-70)  into  a  praiseful  one,  joyfully  anticipat- 
ins  the  fulfilment  that  is  at  hand  in  Jesus. 


PSALM    CXXXIII. 

PRAISE  OF  BROTHERLY  FELLOWSHIP. 

1  BEHOLD  how  good  it  is,  and  how  delightful, 
That  brethren  also  dwell  together  ! 

2  Like  the  fine  oil  upon  the  head, 

Floioing  gently  down  upon  the  beard,  the  beard  of  Aaron^ 
Which  flows  gently  down  upon  the  hem  of  his  garments — 

3  Like  the  dew  of  Hermon,  which  floivs  gently  down  upon  the 

mountains  of  Zion, 
r  there  hath  Jah'' 
Life,  for  evermore. 


rsAi.M  cxxxiir.  317 

In  tins  Psalm,  says  Ilengstenberg,  "  David  brines  to  the 
consciousness  of  the  church  the  glory  of  the  fellowship  of  the 
saints,  that  had  so  long  been  wanting,  the  restoration  of  which 
had  begun  with  the  setting  up  of  the  Ark  in  Zion."  The  Psalm, 
in  fact,  does  not  speak  of  the  termination  of  the  dispersion,  but 
of  the  uniting  of  the  people  of  all  parts  of  the  land  for  the 
purpose  of  divine  worship  in  the  one  place  of  the  sanctuary  : 
and,  as  in  the  case  of  Ps.  cxxii.,  its  counterpart,  occasions  can 
be  found  in  the  history  of  David  adapted  to  the  inh  of  tlie 
inscription.  But  the  language  witnesses  against  David  ;  for 
the  construction  of  C*  with  the  participle,  as  T]*'^',  qui  descendit 
(cf.  cxxxv.  2,  onpy'j'j  qui  stant),  is  unknown  in  the  usage  of 
the  language  prior  to  the  Exile.  Moreover  the  inscription  Tni) 
is  wanting  in  the  LXX.  Cod.  Vat.  and  the  Targum  ;  and  the 
Psalm  may  only  have  been  so  inscribed  because  it*  entirely 
breathes  David's  spirit,  and  is  as  though  it  had  sprung  out  of 
his  love  for  Jonathan. 

"With  ca  the  assertion  passes  on  from  the  community  of 
nature  and  sentiment  which  the  word  "  brethren"  expresses  to 
the  outward  active  manifestation  and  realization  that  corre- 
spond to  it :  good  and  delightful  (cxxxv.  3)  it  is  when  brethren 
united  by  blood  and  heart  also  (corresponding  to  this  their 
brotherly  nature)  dwell  together — a  blessed  joy  which  Israel 
has  enjoyed  during  the  three  great  Feasts,  although  only  for  a 
brief  period  (vid.  Ps.  cxxii.).  Because  the  high  priest,  in  whom 
the  priestly  mediatorial  office  culminates,  is  the  chief  personage 
in  the  celebration  of  the  feast,  the  nature  and  value  of  that 
local  reunion  is  first  of  all  expressed  by  a  metaphor  taken  from 
him.  3iDn  |)pt^  is  the  oil  for  anointing  described  in  Ex.  xxx. 
22-33,  which  consisted  of  a  mixture  of  oil  and  aromatic  spices 
strictly  forbidden  to  be  used  in  common  life.  The  sons  of 
Aaron  were  only  sprinkled  with  this  anointing  oil ;  but  Aaron 
was  expressly  anointed  with  it,  inasmuch  as  Moses  poured  it 
upon  his  head  ;  hence  he  is  called  par  excellence  "  the  anointed 
priest"  (n"'::'53n  inbri),  whilst  the  other  priests  are  only 
"  anointed"  (D'H'fP,  Num.  iii.  3)  in  so  far  as  their  garments, 
like  Aaron's,  were  also  sprinkled  with  the  oil  (together  with 
the  blood  of  the  ram  of  consecration).  Lev.  viii.  12,  30.  In 
the  time  of   the  second    Temple,   to  which    the   holy   oil  of 


318  PSALM  CXXXIII. 

anointing  was  wanting,  the  installation  into  the  office  of  high 
priest  took  place  by  his  being  invested  in  the  pontifical  robes. 
The  poet,  however,  when  he  calls  the  high  priest  as  such 
Aaron,  has  the  high-priesthood  in  all  the  fulness  of  its  divine 
consecration  (Lev.  xxi.  10)  before  his  eyes.  Two  drops  of  the 
holy  oil  of  anointing,  says  a  Haggada,  remained  for  ever  hanging 
on  the  beard  of  Aaron  like  two  pearls,  as  an  emblem  of  atone- 
ment and  of  peace.  In  the  act  of  the  anointing  itself  the 
precious  oil  freely  poured  out  ran  gently  down  upon  his  beard, 
which  in  accordance  with  Lev.  xxi.  5  was  unshortened. 

In  that  part  of  the  Tora  which  describes  the  robe  of  the 
high  priest,  vVk^  is  its  hems,  itJ'N"!  ""Bj  or  even  absolutely  ns^  the 
opening  for  the  head,  or  the  collar,  by  means  of  which  the 
sleeveless  garment  was  put  on,  and  npb'  the  binding,  the  em- 
broidery, the  border  of  this  collar  {vid.  Ex.  xxviii.  32,  xxxix. 
23;  cf.  Job  XXX.  18,  ''^^.^^  ''3,  the  collar  of  my  shirt).  "'Q  must 
apparently  be  understood  according  to  these  passages  of  the 
Tora,  as  also  the  appellation  nnp  (only  here  for  D''"no,  D"'10), 
beginning  with  Lev.  vi.  3,  denotes  the  whole  vestment  of  the 
high  priest,  yet  without  more  exact  distinction.  But  the 
Targum  translates  ''B  with  N"1DX  (ora  =  Jimbria)  —  a  word 
which  is  related  to  i*"^'?^.  agims,  like  a,a  to  ot9.  This  wa  is  used 
both  of  the  upper  and  lower  edge  of  a  garment.  Accordingly 
Apollinaris  and  the  Latin  versions  understand  the  eVl  ttjv  coav 
of  the  LXX.  of  the  hem  (m  oram  vesiimenti)  ;  Theodoret, 
on  the  other  hand,  understands  it  to  mean  the  upper  edging : 
ioav  eKaXeaev  o  KaXovfiev  'jTeptrpa'^')]\iov,  tovto  Se  koI  o  ^AKvXaf 
arofxa  ivhu/xurav  elprjKe.  So  also  De  Sacy  :  sur  le  lord  de  son 
vetementf  c' ef<t-a-dire,  sur  le  liaut  de  ses  habits  pontijicaux.  The 
decision  of  the  question  depends  upon  the  aim  of  this  and  the 
following  figure  in  ver.  3.  If  we  compare  the  two  figures,  we 
find  that  the  point  of  the  comparison  is  the  uniting  power  of 
brotherly  feeling,  as  that  which  unites  in  heart  and  soul  those 
who  are  most  distant  from  one  another  locally,  and  also  brings 
them  together  in  outward  circumstance.  If  this  is  the  poiiit 
of  the  comparison,  then  Aaron's  beard  and  the  hem  of  his 
garments  stand  just  as  diametrically  opposed  to  one  another  as 
the  dew  of  Hermon  and  the  mountains  of  Zion.  "'B  is  not  the 
collar  above,  which  gives  no  advance,  much  less  the  antithesis 
of  two  extremes,  but  the  hem  at  the  bottom  (cf.  HBb',  Ex.  xxvi. 


rsALM  cxxxiii.  319 

4,  of  the  edge  of  a  curtain).  It  is  also  clear  that  T]^"^'  cannot 
now  refer  to  the  beard  of  Aaron,  either  as  flowing  down  over 
the  upper  border  of  his  robe,  or  as  flowing  down  upon  its  hem  ; 
it  must  refer  to  the  oil,  for  peaceable  love  that  brings  the  most 
widely  separated  together  is  likened  to  the  oil.  This  reference 
is  also  more  appropriate  to  the  style  of  the  onward  movement 
of  the  gradual  Psalms,  and  is  confirmed  by  ver.  3,  where  it 
refers  to  the  dew,  which  takes  the  place  of  the  oil  in  the  other 
metaphor.  When  brethren  united  in  harmonious  love  also 
meet  together  in  one  place,  as  is  the  case  in  Israel  at  the  great 
Feasts,  it  is  as  when  the  holy,  precious  chrism,  breathing  forth 
the  blended  odour  of  many  spices,  upon  the  head  of  Aaron 
trickles  down  upon  his  beard,  and  from  thence  to  the  extreme 
end  of  his  vestment.  It  becomes  thoroughly  perceptible,  and 
also  outwardly  visible,  that  Israel,  far  and  near,  is  pervaded  by 
one  spirit  and  bound  together  in  unity  of  spirit. 

Tiiis  uniting  spirit  of  brotherly  love  is  now  symbolized  also 
by  the  dew  of  Hermon,  which  descends  in  drops  upon  the 
mountains  of  Zion.  "  "What  we  read  in  the  133d  Psalm  of 
the  dew  of  Hermon  descending  upon  the  mountains  of  Zion," 
says  Van  de  Velde  in  his  Travels  (Bd.  i.  S.  97),  "  is  now 
become  quite  clear  to  me.  Here,  as  I  sat  at  the  foot  of  Her- 
mon, I  understood  how  the  water-drops  which  rose  from  its 
forest-mantled  heights,  and  out  of  tiie  highest  ravines,  which 
are  filled  the  whole  year  round  with  snow,  after  the  sun's  rays 
have  attenuated  them  and  moistened  the  atmosphere  with  them, 
descend  at  evening-time  as  a  heavy  dew  upon  the  lower  moun- 
tains which  lie  round  about  as  its  spurs.  One  ought  to  have 
seen  Hermon  with  its  white-golden  crown  glistening  aloft  in 
the  blue  sky,  in  order  to  be  able  rightly  to  understand  the 
ffgure.  Nowhere  in  the  whole  country  is  so  heavy  a  dew  per- 
ceptible as  in  the  districts  near  to  Hermon."  To  this  dew  the 
poet  likens  brotherly  love.  This  is  as  the  dew  of  Hermon  :  of 
such  pristine  freshness  and  thus  refreshing,  possessing  such 
pristine  power  and  thus  quickening,  thus  born  from  above 
(ex.  3),  and  in  fact  like  the  dew  of  Hermon  which  conies 
down  upon  the  mountains  of  Zion — a  feature  in  the  picture 
which  is  taken  from  the  natural  reality;  for  an  abundant  dew, 
when  warm  days  have  preceded,  might  very  well  be  divert/>d 
to  Jerusalem    by   the  operation   of   the   cold    current  of    v\t 


320  PSALM  CXXXIV. 

sweeping  down  from  the  north  over  Plermon.  We  know, 
indeed,  from  our  own  experience  how  far  off  a  cold  air  coming 
from  the  Alps  is  perceptible  and  produces  its  effects.  The 
figure  of  the  poet  is  therefore  as  true  to  nature  as  it  is  beau- 
tiful. When  brethren  bound  together  in  love  also  meet 
together  in  one  place,  and  in  fact  when  brethren  out  of  the 
north  unite  with  brethren  in  the  south  in  Jerusalem,  the  city 
which  is  the  mother  of  all,  at  the  great  Feasts,  it  is  as  when 
the  dew  of  Mount  Hermon,  which  is  covered  with  deep,  almost 
eternal  snow,*  descends  upon  the  bare,  unfruitful — and  there- 
fore longing  for  such  quickening — mountains  round  about 
Zion.  In  Jerusalem  must  love  and  all  that  is  good  meet. 
For  there  (D^  as  in  cxxxii.  17)  hath  Jahve  commanded  (nj>'  as 
in  Lev.  xxv.  21,  cf.  Ps.  xlii.  9,  Ixviii.  29)  the  blessing,  i.e.  there 
allotted  to  the  blessing  its  rendezvous  and  its  place  of  issue. 
•^tI^?-'^?  is  appositionally  explained  by  D''^n  :  life  is  the  sub- 
stance and  goal  of  the  blessing,  the  possession  of  all  pos- 
sessions, the  blessing  of  all  blessings.  The  closing  words 
T  ^'?"''y  (cf.  xxviii.  9)  belong  to  n^^if :  such  is  God's  inviolable, 
ever-enduring  order. 


PSALM    CXXXIV. 

NIGHT-WATCH  GREETING  AND  COUNTER-GREETING. 
The  Call. 

1  BEHOLD,  bless  ye  Jalive,  all  ye  servants  of  Jahve, 
Who  serve  in  the  house  of  Jahve  by  night ! 

2  Lift  up  your  hands  to  the  sanctuary 
And  Mess  ye  Jahve  ! 


*A   Hauranitisb   poem   in   Wetzstein's   Lieder-Sammlungen   begins: 
^aIJI    ,  jl-c   ,.„<,       'i^^f■ti    Uu>Li    LU^jCi   ^  ,1*]^   "Yesterday 

thei'e  blew  across  to   me  a  spark  |  from   the   lofty  snow-mouutain  (the 
Hermon),"  on  which  the  commentator  dictated  to  him  the  remark,  that 

i'j'J^-,  the  glowing  spark,  is  either  the  snow-capped  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain glowing  in  the  morning  sun  or  a  burning  cold  breath  of  air,  for  one 

says  in  everyday  life  /^jst^,,  *->^'.^•'^  the  frost  burns  [virl.  note  to  cxxi.  G]. 


PSALM  CXXXIV.  1,  2.  321 


The  Ansicer. 

3  Jalive  bless  thee  out  of  Zion, 

The  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth  ! 

This  Psalm  consists  of  a  greeting,  vers.  1,  2,  and  the 
reply  thereto.  The  greeting  is  addressed  to  those  priests  and 
Levites  who  have  the  night-watch  in  the  Temple  ;  and  this 
antiphon  is  purposely  placed  at  the  end  of  the  collection  of 
Songs  of  degrees  in  order  to  take  the  place  of  a  final  beracha. 
In  this  sense  Luther  styles  this  Psalm  epiphonema  superiorum. 
It  is  also  in  other  respects  {vid.  Symlolce,  p.  (jQ)  an  appropriate 
finale. 

Vers.  1,  2.  The  Psalm  begins,  like  its  predecessor,  with 
HiH  ;  there  it  directs  attention  to  an  attractive  phenomenon, 
here  to  a  duty  which  springs  from  the  office.  For  that  it  is 
not  tlie  persons  frequenting  the  Temple  who  are  addressed  is 
at  once  clear  from  the  fact  that  the  tarrying  of  these  in  the 
Temple  through  the  night,  when  such  a  thing  did  actually  occur 
(Luke  ii.  37),  was  only  an  exception.  And  then,  however, 
from  the  fact  that  T?y  is  the  customary  word  for  the  service 
of  the  priests  and  Levites,  Deut.  x.  8,  xviii.  7,  1  Cliron.  xxiii. 
30,  2  Chron.  xxix.  II  (cf.  on  Isa.  Ixi.  10,  and  Ps.  ex.  4),  which 
is  also  continued  in  the  night,  1  Chron.  ix.  33.  Even  the 
Targum  refers  ver.  \h  to  the  Temple-watch.  In  the  second 
Temple  the  matter  was  arranged  thus.  After  midnight  the 
chief  over  the  gate-keepers  took  the  keys  of  the  inner  Temple 
and  went  with  some  of  the  priests  through  the  little  wicket  of 
the  Fire  Gate  (npiDH  n^2  IVB').  In  the  inner  court  this  patrol 
divided  into  two  companies,  each  with  a  burning  torch ;  one 
company  turned  west,  the  other  east,  and  so  they  compassed  the 
court  to  see  whether  everything  was  in  readiness  for  the  service 
of  the  dawning  day.  At  the  bakers'  chamber,  in  which  the 
M'lncha  of  the  high  priest  was  baked  (pn''an  ^b'y  T\yJ?)^  they 
met  with  the  cry :  AH  is  well.  In  the  meanwhile  the  rest 
of  the  priests  also  arose,  bathed,  and  put  on  tlieir  garments. 
Then  they  went  into  the  stone  chamber  (one  half  of  which 
was  the  place  of  session  of  the  Sanhedrim),  where,  under  the 
superintendence  of  the  chief  over  the  drawing  of  the  lots  and 
VOL.  III.  21 


322  PSALM  CXXXIV.  3. 

of  a  judge,  around  whom  stood  all  the  priests  in  their  robes  of 
office,  the  functions  of  the  priests  in  the  service  of  the  coming 
day  were  assigned  to  them  by  lot  (Luke  i.  9).  Accoi'dingly 
Tholuck,  with  Koster,  regards  vers.  1  sq.  and  3  as  the  antiphon 
of  the  Temple-watch  going  off  duty  and  those  coming  on.  It 
might  also  be  the  call  and  counter-call  with  which  the  watch- 
men greeted  one  another  when  they  met.  But  according  to 
the  general  keeping  of  the  Psalm,  vers.  1  sq.  have  rather  to  be 
regarded  as  a  call  to  devotion  and  intercession,  which  the  con- 
gregation addresses  to  the  priests  and  Levites  entrusted  with 
the  night-service  in  the  Temple.  It  is  an  error  to  suppose  that 
"in  the  nights"  can  be  equivalent  to  "early  and  late."  If 
the  Psalter  contains  Morning  Psalms  (iii,,  Ixiii.)  and  Evening 
Psalms  (iv.,  cxli.),  why  should  it  then  not  contain  a  vigil 
Psalm  ?  On  this  very  ground  Venema's  idea  too,  that  rm""^^  is 
syncopated  from  nip^priB,  "  with  Hallels,  i.e.  praises,"  is  useless. 
Nor  is  there  any  reason  for  drawing  iv  raU  vv^lv,  as  the  LXX. 
does,  to  ver.  2,*  or,  what  would  be  more  natural,  to  the  13^3  that 
opens  the  Psalm,  since  it  is  surely  not  strange  that,  so  long  as 
the  sanctuary  was  standing,  a  portion  of  the  servants  of  God 
who  ministered  in  it  had  to  remain  up  at  night  to  guard  it,  and 
to  see  to  it  that  nothing  was  wanting  in  the  preparations  for 
the  early  service.  That  this  ministering  watching  should  be 
combined  with  devotional  praying  is  the  purport  of  the  admo- 
nition in  ver.  2.  liaising  suppliant  hands  (Q^T,  negligently 
written  for  Q?''T)  towards  the  Most  Holy  Place  {ra  ayta),  they 
are  to  bless  Jahve.  ^"Jp  (according  to  B.  Sota  39rt,  the  accu- 
sative of  definition :  in  holiness,  i.e.  after  washing  of  hands),  in 
view  of  xxviii.  2,  v.  8,  cxxxviii.  2  (cf.  nil  in  Hab.  iii.  10),  has 
to  be  regarded  as  the  accusative  of  the  direction. 

Ver.  3.  Calling  thus  up  to  the  Temple-hill,  the  church 
receives  from  above  the  benedictory  counter-greeting :  Jahve 
bless  thee  out  of  Zion  (as  in  cxxviii.  5),  the  Creator  of  heaven 
and  earth  (as  in  cxv.  15,  cxxi.  2,  cxxiv.  8).  From  the  time 
of  Num.  vi.  24:  jebarecJija  is  the  ground-form  of  the  priestly 
benediction.  It  is  addressed  to  the  church  as  one  person,  and 
to  each  individual  in  this  united,  unit-like  church. 


*  The  TiXX.  acl justs  the  shortening  of  ver.  Ih  arising  from  this,  by 
reading  l^-^n^X  n''2  JTnvnn  'n  n-a^  Onoyn  after  cxxxv.  2. 


PSALM  cxxxv.  323 


PSALM    CXXXV. 

FOUR-VOICED  HALLELUJAH  TO  THE  GOD  OF  ISRAEL,  THE 
GOD  OF  GODS. 

Hallelujah. 

1  PRAISE  ye  the  Name  of  .Tahve, 
Praise  ye,  O  ye  servants  of  Jahve, 

2  Who  stand  in  the  house  of  Jahve, 

In  the  courts  of  the  liouse  of  our  God ! 

3  Praise  ye  Jiih,  for  Jahve  is  good  ; 
Harp  unto  His  Name,  for  it  is  lovely ; 

4  For  Jacob  hath  Jah  chosen  for  Himself, 
Israel  as  His  possession. 

o  For  I  know  that  Jahve  is  great 

And  our  Lord  above  all  gods. 
H  All  that  Jahve  willeth  He  carrieth  out 

In  heaven  and  upon  earth, 

In  the  seas  and  in  all  the  depths ; 

7  Who  bringeth  the  vapoiu's  up  from  the  end  of  the  earth, 
He  maketh  lightnings  for  the  rain, 

Who  bringeth  forth  wind  out  of  His  treasuries. 

8  Who  smote  the  first-born  of  Egypt 
From  man  down  to  the  cattle, 

1)  Sent  signs  and  wonders 

Into  the  midst  of  thee,  O  Egypt, 
Against  Piiaraoh  and  all  his  servants  ! 

10  Who  smote  great  nations 
And  slew  mighty  kings, 

1 1  Sihon,  king  of  the  Ainorites, 
And  Og,  king  of  Bashan, 

xVnd  all  the  kingdoms  of  Canaan  ; 

12  And  gave  over  their  land  as  a  heritage, 
As  a  heritage  to  Israel  His  people. 

I'd   Jahve,  Thy  Name  endureth  for  ever, 

Thy  memorial,  Jahve,  unto  all  generations. 


324  PSALM  CXXXV.  1-4. 

14  For  Jalive  will  render  justice  to  His  people, 
And  repent  Himself  concerning  His  servants. 

15  The  idols  of  the  heathen  are  silver  and  gold, 
The  work  of  men's  hands. 

16  A  mouth  have  they  and  cannot  speak, 
Eyes  have  they  and  cannot  see, 

17  Ears  have  they  and  cannot  hear, 

Nor  is  there  any  breath  at  all  in  their  mouth. 

18  Like  unto  them  must  they  who  made  them  become, 
Every  one  who  trusted  in  them. 

19  0  house  of  Israel,  bless  ye  Jahve ! 
O  house  of  Aaron,  bless  ye  Jahve ! 

20  O  house  of  Levi,  bless  ye  Jahve ! 
Ye  who  fear  Jahve,  bless  Jahve ! — 

21  Blessed  be  Jahve  out  of  Zion, 
Who  dwelleth  in  Jerusalem, 

I-lallelujali ! 

Ps.  CXXXV.  is  here  and  there  (vid.  Tosefoth  Pesacliim  117a) 
taken  together  with  Ps.  cxxxiv.  as  one  Psalm.  The  combining 
of  Ps.  cxv.  with  cxiv.  is  a  misapprehension  caused  by  the  in- 
scriptionless  character  of  Ps.  cxv ,  whereas  Ps.  cxxxv.  and 
cxxxiv.  certainly  stand  in  connection  with  one  another.  For 
the  Hallelujah  Ps.  cxxxv.  is,  as  the  mutual  relation  between 
the  beginning  and  close  of  Ps.  cxxxiv.  shows,  a  Psalm-song 
expanded  out  of  this  shorter  hymn,  that  is  in  part  drawn  from 
Ps.  cxv. 

It  is  a  Psalm  in  the  mosaic  style.  Even  the  Latin  poet 
Lucilius  transfers  the  figure  of  mosaic- work  to  style,  when  he 
says :  quam  lepicle  lexeis  compostce  ut  tesserulce  omnes  ...  In 
the  case  of  Ps.  cxxxv.  it  is  not  the  first  time  that  we  have  met 
with  this  kind  of  style.  We  have  already  had  a  glimpse  of  it 
in  Ps.  xcvii.  and  xcviii.  These  Psalms  were  composed  more 
especially  of  deutero-Isaianic  passages,  whereas  Ps.  cxxxv. 
takes  its  tesserulce  out  of  the  Law,  Prophets,  and  Psalms. 

Vers.  1-4.     Tlie  bco-inninor  is  taken  from  cxxxiv.  1 :  ver.  2b 


rSALM  CXXXV.  5-7.  325 

recalls  cxvi.  19  (cf.  xcii.  14) ;  and  ver.  4  is  an  echo  of  Dent, 
vii.  6.  The  servants  of  Jahve  to  whom  the  summons  is  ad- 
dressed, are  not,  as  in  cxxxiv.  1  sq.,  His  official  servants  in 
particular,  but  according  to  ver.  2b,  where  the  courts,  in  the 
plural,  are  allotted  to  them  as  their  standing-place,  and  accord- 
ing to  vers.  19,  20,  those  who  fear  Him  as  a  body.  Tiie  three- 
fold Jahve  at  the  beginning  is  then  repeated  in  Jdh  ('"^p^^n,  cf. 
note  *  to  civ.  35),  Jahve,  and  Jdh.  The  subject  of  D^i?^  ""S  is 
by  no  means  Jahve  (Hupfeld),  whom  they  did  not  dare  to  call 
D'yj  in  the  Old  Testament,  but  either  the  Name,  according  to 
liv.  8  (Luther,  Ilitzig),  or,  which  is  favoured  by  cxlvii.  1  (cf. 
Prov.  xxii.  18),  the  praising  of  His  Name  (Apollinaris:  eVet 
ToSe  KaXov  aeiheLv)  :  His  Name  to  praise  is  a  delightful  employ, 
which  is  incumbent  on  Israel  as  the  people  of  His  choice  and 
of  Plis  possession. 

Vers.  5-7.  The  praise  itself  now  begins.  "3  in  ver.  4a  set 
forth  the  ground  of  the  pleasant  duty,  and  the  ^3  that  begins 
this  strophe  confirms  that  which  warrants  the  summons  out  of 
the  riches  of  the  material  existing  for  such  a  hymn  of  praise. 
Worthy  is  He  to  be  praised,  for  Israel  knows  full  well  that 
He  who  hath  chosen  it  is  the  God  of  gods.  The  beginning 
is  taken  from  cxv.  3,  and  ver.  7  from  Jer.  x.  13  (li.  16). 
Heaven,  earth,  and  water  are  the  three  kingdoms  of  created 
things,  as  in  Ex.  xx.  4.  N'^b'J  signifies  that  which  is  lifted  up, 
ascended ;  here,  as  in  Jeremiah,  a  cloud.  The  meaning  of 
.■TL"y  ii^np  n\'?n3  is  not:  He  makes  lightnings  into  rain,  i.e. 
resolves  them  as  it  were  into  rain,  wdiich  is  unnatural ;  but 
either  according  to  Zech.  x.  1 :  He  produces  lightnings  in  be- 
half of  rain,  in  order  that  the  rain  may  pour  down  in  conse- 
quence of  the  thunder  and  lightning,  or  poetically:  He  makes 
lightnings  for  the  rain,  so  that  the  rain  is  announced  (ApolH- 
nuris)  and  accompanied  by  them.  Instead  of  NViD  (cf.  Ixxviii. 
16,  cv.  43),  which  does  not  admit  of  the  retreating  of  the  tone, 
the  expression  is  ^>'iO,  tiie  ground-form  of  the  par^  Ilij^h.  for 
plurals  like  Q'lVnp,  Q''pS"^?,  Q'llVP,  perhaps  not  without  being 
influenced  by  the  N^'i'l  in  Jeremiah,  for  it  is  not  N>'io  from 
xyo  that  signifies  "producing,"  but  N^V^^  =  !''??•  The  meta- 
phor of  the  treasuries  is  like  Job  xxxviii.  22.  AVhat  is  intended 
is  the  fulness  of  divine  power,  in  which  lie  the  grounds  of  the 
origin  and  the  impulses  of  all  things  in  nature. 


326  rsALM  cxxxv.  8-21. 

Vers.  8,  9.  Worthy  is  He  to  be  praised,  for  He  is  the 
Redeemer  out  of  Egj'pt.     '351^3  as  iu  cxvi.  19,  cf.  cv.  27. 

Vers.  10-12.  Worthy  is  He  to  be  praised,  for  He  is  the 
Conqueror  of  the  Land  of  Promise.  In  connection  with  ver.  10 
one  is  reminded  of  Deut.  iv.  38,  vii.  1,  ix.  1,  xi.  23,  Josh,  xxiii. 
9.  W3.'\  Cia  are  here  not  many,  but  great  peoples  (cf.  Qy"'-'  in 
cxxxvi.  17),  since  the  parallel  word  DnpiVJ?  is  by  no  means  in- 
tended of  a  powerful  number,  but  of  powerful  might  (cf.  Isa. 
liii.  12).  As  to  the  rest  also,  the  poet  follows  the  Book  of  Deu- 
teronomy:  viz.  niappn  bbb  as  in  Deut.  iii.  21,  and  nSn:  jna  as  in 
Deut.  iv.  38  and  other  passages.  It  is  all  Deuteronomic  with 
the  exception  of  the  K',  and  the  ?  in  ver.  11  as  the  nota  accus. 
(as  in  cxxxvi.  19  sq.,  cf.  Ixix.  6,  cxvi.  16,  cxxix.  3);  the  con- 
struction of  iy}  is  just  as  Aramaizing  in  Job  v.  2,  2  Sam.  iii. 
30  (where  vers.  30,  31,  like  vers.  36,  37,  are  a  later  explana- 
tory addition).  The  3"!^  alternating  with  nan  is,  next  to  the 
two  kings,  also  referred  to  the  kingdoms  of  Canaan,  viz.  their 
inhabitants.     Og  was  also  an  Amoritish  king,  Deut.  iii.  8. 

Vers.  13,  14.  This  God  who  rules  so  praise  worthily  in  the 
universe  and  in  the  history  of  Israel  is  the  same  yesterday,  and 
to-day,  and  for  ever.  Just  as  ver.  13  (cf.  cii.  13)  is  taken  from 
Ex.  iii.  15,  so  ver.  14  is  taken  from  Deut.  xxxii.  36,  cf.  xc.  13, 
and  vid.  on  Heb.  x.  30,  31  (vol.  ii.  191). 

Vers.  15-18.  For  the  good  of  His  proved  church  He  ever 
proves  Himself  to  be  the  Living  God,  whereas  idols  and  idol- 
worshippers  are  vain — throughout  following  cxv.  4-8,  but  with 
some  abridgments.  Here  only  the  ^X  used  as  a  particle  recalls 
what  is  said  there  of  the  organ  of  smell  (^i<)  of  the  idols  that 
smells  not,  just  as  the  n^i  which  is  here  (as  in  Jer.  x.  14)  denied 
to  the  idols  recalls  the  n'''in  denied  to  them  there.  It  is  to  be 
rendered :  also  there  is  not  a  being  of  breath,  i.e.  there  is  no 
breath  at  all,  not  a  trace  thereof,  in  their  mouth.  It  is  different 
in  1  Sam.  xxi.  9,  where  ^'\  Ti^  (not  pJ*)  is  meant  to  be  equiva- 
lent to  the  Aramaic  JT'N  PN,  man  (an)  est;  pN  is  North-Pale- 
stinian, and  equivalent  to  the  interrogatory  DN  (after  which 
the  Targum  renders  IT'S  1?X). 

Vers.  19-21.  A  call  to  the  praise  of  Jahve,  who  is  exalted 
above  the  gods  of  the  nations,  addressed  to  Israel  as  a  whole, 
rounds  off  the  Psalm  by  recurring  to  its  beginning.  The  three- 
fold call  in  cxv.  9-11,  cxviii.  2-4,  is  rendered  fourfold  here  by 


PSALM  CXXXVI.  327 

(he  introducnon  of  the  house  of  the  Levites,  and  the  wishuig  of 
a  blessing  in  cxxxiv.  3  is  turned  into  an  ascription  of  praise. 
Zion,  whence  Jahve's  self-attestation,  so  rich  in  power  and 
loving-kindness,  is  spread  abroad,  is  also  to  be  the  place  whence 
His  glorious  attestation  by  the  mouth  of  men  is  spread  abroad. 
History  has  realized  this. 

PSALM  CXXXVI. 

O  GIVE  THANKS  UNTO  THE  LORD,  FOR  HE  IS  GOOD. 

1  GIVE  thanks  unto  Jahve,  for  He  is  good, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

2  Give  thanks  unto  the  God  of  gods. 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

3  Give  thanks  unto  the  Lord  of  lords — 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

4  To  Him  who  alone  doeth  great  wonders, 

For  Plis  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

5  To  Him  who  by  wisdom  made  the  heavens, 

For  His  goodness  endui'eth  for  ever. 

6  To  Him  who  stretched  out  the  earth  above  the  waters — 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

7  To  Him  who  made  great  lights, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

8  The  sun  for  dominion  by  day, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

9  The  moon  and  stars  for  dominions  by  night — 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

10  To  Him  who  smote  the  Egyptians  in  their  first-born, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

11  And  brought  forth  Israel  out  of  their  midst, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

12  With  a  strong  hand  and  a  stretched-out  arm — 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

13  To  Him  who  divided  the  Ivcd  Sea  into  parts, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 


328  PSAUi  cxxxvi. 

14  Anl  made  Israel  to  pass  through  in  the  midst  of  it, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

15  And  overthrew  Pharaoh  and  his  host  in  the  Red  Sea — 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

IG  To  Him  wlio  led  His  people  in  the  desert, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

17  To  Him  who  smote  great  kings, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

18  And  slew  glorious  kings — 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

19  Sihon,  king  of  the  Amorites, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

20  And  Og,  king  of  Bashan, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

21  And  gave  their  land  as  a  heritage. 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

22  As  a  heritage  to  Israel  His  servant — 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

23  Who  in  our  low  estate  remembered  us, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

24  And  redeemed  us  from  our  adversaries. 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

25  Giving  bread  to  all  flesh — 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

26  Give  thanks  unto  the  God  of  heaven, 

For  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever. 

The  cry  cxxxv.  3,  Praise  ye  Jah,  for  good  is  JaJive,  is  here 
followed  by  a  Hodu,  the  last  of  the  collection,  with  "  for  His 
goodness  endureth  for  ever"  repeated  twenty-six  times  as  a 
versus  inter calaris.  In  the  liturgical  language  this  Psalm  is 
called  par  excellence  the  great  Hallel,  for  according  to  its  broadest 
compass  the  great  Hallel  comprehends  Ps.  cxx.  to  cxxxvi.,* 


*  There  are  three  opinious  in  the  Talmud  and  Midrash  concerning  the 
compass  of  the  "  Great  Hallel,"  viz.  (1)  Ps.  cxxxvi.,  (2)  Ps.  cxxxv.  4-cxxxvi., 
(3)  Ps.  cxx.-cxxxvi. 


PSALM  CXXXVI.  1-2G.  329 

whilst  the  Hallel  which  is  absokitely  so  called  extends  from 
Ps.  cxiii.  to  cxviii.  Down  to  ver.  18  the  song  and  counter- 
song  organize  themselves  into  hexastichic  groups  or  strophes, 
which,  however,  from  ver.  19  (and  tiierefore  from  the  point 
where  the  dependence  on  Ps.  cxxxv.,  already  begun  with  ver. 
17,  becomes  a  borrowing,  onwards)  pass  over  into  octastichs. 
In  Heidenheim's  Psalter  the  Psalm  appears  (after  Norzi)  in 
two  columns  (like  Deut.  ch.  xxxii.),  which  it  is  true  has  neither 
tradition  (yid.  on  Ps.  xviii.)  nor  MSS.  precedent  in  its  favour, 
but  really  corresponds  to  its  structure. 

Vers.  1-9.  Like  the  preceding  Psalm,  this  Psalm  allies  itself 
to  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy.  Vers.  2a  and  3a  {God  of  gods 
and  Lord  of  lords)  are  taken  from  Deut.  x.  17  ;  ver.  12a  (with 
a  strong  hand  and  stretched-out  arm)  from  Deut.  iv.  34,  v.  15, 
and  frequently  (cf.  Jer.  xxxii.  21)  ;  ver.  16a  like  Deut.  viii.  15 
(cf.  Jer.  ii.  6).  With  reference  to  the  Deuteronomic  colouring 
of  vers.  19-22,  vid.  on  cxxxv.  10-12 ;  also  the  expression 
*'  Israel  His  servant "  recalls  Deut.  xxxii.  36  (cf.  cxxxv.  14,  xc. 
13),  and  still  more  Isa.  xl.— Ixvi.,  where  the  comprehension  of 
Israel  under  the  unity  of  this  notion  has  its  own  proper  place. 
In  other  respects,  too,  the  Psalm  is  an  echo  of  earlier  model 
jiassages.  Wlio  alone  doeth  great  iconders  sounds  like  Ixxii.  18 
(Ixxxvi.  10);  and  the  adjective  "great"  that  is  added  to  *' won- 
ders" shows  tiiat  the  poet  found  the  formula  already  in  exis- 
tence. In  connection  with  ver.  5a  he  has  Prov.  iii.  19  or  Jer. 
X.  12  in  his  mind  ;  "^J^^ri,  like  '"'^P'7)  ^^  ^^^®  demiurgic  wisdom. 
Ver.  Qa  calls  to  mind  Isa.  xlii.  5,  xliv.  24 ;  the  expression  is 
"  above  the  waters,"  as  in  xxiv.  2  "  upon  the  seas,"  because  the 
water  is  partly  visible  and  partly  invisible  )"}if^  nnnp  (Ex,  xx.  4). 
The  plural  Q"'"!ii^*,  luces,  instead  of  nnxp,  luniina  (cf.  Ezek.  xxxii. 
8,  nix  ""^iso),  is  without  precedent.  It  is  a  controverted  point 
whether  niix  in  Isa.  xxvi.  19  signifies  lights  (cf.  nnis,  cxxxix. 
12)  or  herbs  (2  Kings  iv.  39).  The  plural  ni!?-J'np  is  also  rare 
(occurring  only  besides  in  cxiv.  2) :  it  here  denotes  the  dominion 
of  the  moon  on  the  one  hand,  and  (going  beyond  Gen.  i.  16)  of 
the  stars  on  the  other,  n^l^?,  like  Ci'3,  is  the  second  member  of 
the  stat.  ccnstruct. 

Vers.  10-26.     Up  to  this  point  it  is  God  the  absolute  in 
general,  the  Creator  of  all  things,  to  the  celebration  of  whose 


330  PSALM  CXXXVII. 

praise  tliey  are  summoned ;  and  from  this  point  onwards  the 
God  of  the  history  of  salvation.  In  ver.  13a  i]3  (instead  of  V\>^, 
Ixxviii.  13,  Ex.  xiv.  21,  Neli.  ix.  11)  of  the  dividing  of  the  Keel 
Sea  is  pecuhar;  C'^Jii  (Gen.  xv.  17,  side  by  side  with  ^"'"1^2) 
are  the  pieces  or  parts  of  a  thing  that  is  cut  up  into  pieces. 
"iy3  is  a  favourite  word  taken  from  Ex.  xiv.  27.  With  refer- 
ence to  the  name  of  the  Egyptian  ruler  Pharaoh  (Herodotus 
also,  ii.  Ill,  calls  the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus  the  son  of  Sesostris- 
Rameses  Miumun,  not  Mev6(j)6a'i,  as  he  is  properly  called,  but 
absolutely  ^epcov),  vid.  on  Ixxiii.  22.  After  the  God  to  whom 
the  praise  is  to  be  ascribed  has  been  introduced  with  p  by  always 
fresh  attributes,  the  ?  before  the  names  of  Sihon  and  of  Og  is 
perplexing.  The  words  are  taken  over,  as  are  the  six  lines  of 
ve^'s.  17a-22a  in  the  main,  from  cxxxv.  10-12,  with  only  a 
slight  alteration  in  the  expression.  In  ver.  23  the  continued 
influence  of  the  construction  f  ^in  is  at  an  end.  The  connection 
by  means  of  B'  (cf.  cxxxv.  8,  10)  therefore  has  reference  to  the 
preceding  "  for  His  goodness  endureth  for  ever."  The  language 
here  has  the  stamp  of  the  latest  period.  It  is  true  "I3T  with 
Lamed  of  the  object  is  used  even  in  the  earliest  Hebrew,  but 
7SL^  is  only  authenticated  by  Eccles.  x.  6,  and  P1.3,  to  break 
loose  =  to  rescue  (the  customary  Aramaic  word  for  redemption), 
by  Lam.  v.  8,  just  as  in  the  closing  verse,  which  recurs  to  the 
beginning,  "  God  of  heaven  "  is  a  name  for  God  belonging  to 
the  latest  literature,  Neh.  i.  4,  ii.  4.  In  ver.  23  the  praise 
changes  suddenly  to  that  which  has  been  experienced  very 
recently.  The  attribute  in  ver.  25a  (cf.  cxlvii.  9,  cxlv.  15) 
leads  one  to  look  back  to  a  time  in  which  famine  befell  tnem 
together  with  slavery. 


PSALM  CXXXVIL 

BY  THE  RIVERS  OF  BABYLON. 

1  BY  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  there  we  sat  and  wept, 
When  we  remembered  Zion. 

2  Upon  the  willows  in  the  midst  thereof 

We  hung  our  citherns. 


PSALM  CXXXVII.  3;Jl 

3  For  tliere  our  oppressors  asked  of  jis 
Tlie  words  of  songs, 

And  our  tormentors  joy : 
Sin<T  us  a  sonoj  of  Zion  ! 

4  How  are  we  to  sing  Jalive's  songs 
Upon  strange  soil  ?  ! 

5  If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem, 
Let  my  right  hand  become  lame ! 

6  Let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth, 
If  I  do  not  remember  thee, 

If  I  do  not  set  Jerusalem 
Above  all  my  joys  ! 

7  Remember,  Jahve,  the  children  of  Edom 
In  the  day  of  Jerusalem, 

Who  said :  Raze,  raze  it 
Even  to  the  foundation  ! 

8  O  daughter  of  Babylon,  thou  wasted  one,  blessed  is  he  who 

giveth  thee  thy  reward, 


Which  thou  hast  merited  for  us 


9  Blessed  is  he  who  taketh  and  dasheth  thy  little  ones 


Against  the  rock ! 


The  Hallelujah  Ps.  cxxxv.  and  the  Hodu  Ps.  cxxxvi.  are 
followed  by  a  Psalm  which  glances  back  into  the  time  of  the 
Exile,  when  such  cheerful  songs  as  they  once  sang  to  the 
accompaniment  of  the  music  of  the  Levites  at  the  worship  of 
God  on  Mount  Zion  were  obliged  to  be  silent.  It  is  anony- 
mous. The  inscription  Tuj  AavlB  (Bia)  'lepefiiov  found  in 
codices  of  the  LXX.,  which  is  meant  to  say  that  it  is  a  Davidic 
song  coming  from  the  heart  of  Jeremiah,*  is  all  the  more 
erroneous  as  Jeremiah  never  was  one  of  the  Babylonian  exiles. 

The  \^j  which  is  repeated  three  times  in  vers.  8  sq.,  corrc- 


*  Reversely  Ellies  du  Pin  (in  the  preface  of  Iiis  Bihliothcque  dcs  Antcnn 
Ecclesiastiqnes)  says  :  Le  Pscaume  136  parte  k  nom  de  David  et  de  Jercmle, 
ce  qu'il/aut  apparcnient  entendre  ainsi:  Pseaumc  de  Jcremie  fait  a  limitation 
de  David. 


332  rsALM  cxxxvii.  i-e. 

spends  to  the  time  of  the  composition  of  the  Psahn  which  is 
required  by  its  contents.  It  is  just  the  same  with  the  paragogic 
i  in  the  future  in  ver.  6.  But  in  other  respects  the  language  is 
classic ;  and  the  rhythm,  at  the  beginning  softly  elegiac,  then 
more  and  more  excited,  and  abounding  in  guttural  and  sibilant 
sounds,  is  so  expressive  that  scarcely  any  Psalm  is  so  easily  im- 
pressed on  the  memory  as  this,  which  is  so  pictorial  even  in  sound. 
The  metre  resembles  the  elegiac  as  it  appears  in  the  so- 
called  cffisura  schema  of  the  Lamentations  and  in  the  cadence 
of  Isa.  xvi.  9,  10,  which  is  like  the  Sapphic  strophe.  Every 
second  line  corresponds  to  the  pentameter  of  the  elegiac  metre. 

Vers.  1-6.  Beginning  with  perfects,  the  Psalm  has  the 
appearance  of  being  a  Psalm  not  belonging  to  the  Exile,  but 
written  in  memory  of  the  Exile.  The  bank  of  a  river,  like  the 
seashore,  is  a  favourite  place  of  sojourn  of  those  whom  deep 
grief  drives  forth  from  the  bustle  of  men  into  solitude.  The 
boundary  line  of  the  river  gives  to  solitude  a  safe  back ;  the 
monotonous  splashing  of  the  waves  keeps  up  the  dull,  melancholy 
alternation  of  thoughts  and  feelings ;  and  at  the  same  time  the 
sight  of  the  cool,  fresh  water  exercises  a  soothing  influence  upon 
the  consuming  fever  within  the  heart.  The  rivers  of  Babylon 
arQ  here  those  of  the  Babylonian  empire :  not  merely  the 
Euphrates  with  its  canals,  and  the  Tigris,  but  also  the  Chaboras 
{Chehar)  and  Eula30s  ('  Ulai)^  on  whose  lonesome  banks  Ezekiel 
(ch.  i.  3)  and  Daniel  (ch.  viii.  2)  beheld  divine  visions.  The 
DtJ'  is  important :  there,  in  a  strange  land,  as  captives  under  the 
dominion  of  the  power  of  the  world.  And  D3  is  purposely 
chosen  instead  of  1 :  with  the  sitting  down  in  the  solitude  of  the 
river's  banks  weeping  immediately  came  on ;  when  the  natural 
scenery  around  contrasted  so  strongly  with  that  of  their  native 
land,  the  remembrance  of  Zion  only  forced  itself  upon  them  all 
the  more  powerfully,  and  the  pain  at  the  isolation  from  their 
home  would  have  all  the  freer  course  where  no  hostilely  obser- 
vant eyes  were  -ir^sent  to  suppress  it.  The  willow  ('"i^ysV)  and 
viburnum,  those  trees  which  are  associated  with  flowing  water 
in  hot  low-lying  districts,  are  indigenous  in  the  richly  watered 
lowlands  of  Babylonia.     3-iy  C^^l^)?  if  o'le  and  the  same  with 

(_;^,  is  not  the  willow,  least  of  all  the  weeping- willow,  which  is 


I'SAI.M  CXXXVII.  1  -c.  333 

called  safsdf  inusfaM  in  Arabic,  "  the  bending-down  willow," 
but  the  viburnum  with  dentate  leaves,  described  by  ^^'ctzsteiIl 
on  Isa.  xliv.  4.  The  Talmud  even  distinguishes  between  isaph- 
tsapha  and  'araha,  but  without  our  being  able  to  obtain  any  sure 
botanic  picture  from  it.  The  '"'^'JJ^,  whose  branches  belong  to  the 
constituents  of  the  lulah  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (Lev.  xxiii. 
40),  is  understood  of  the  crack-willow  [SalLv  frag  His],  and  even 
in  the  passage  before  us  is  surely  not  distinguished  with  such 
botanical  precision  but  that  i\\egharah  and  willow  together  wi;h 
the  weeping-willow-  (Saliv  Bahylonica)  might  be  cumjirehended 
under  the  word  ^"^"^y..  On  these  trees  of  the  country  abounding 
in  streams  the  exik'S  hung  their  citherns.  The  time  to  take 
delight  in  music  was  past,  for  fiovaiKa  iv  Trevdei  uKaipo'^  hirj- 
fyrjat^,  Sir.  xxii.  6.  Joyous  songs,  as  the  word  i'!?'  designates 
them,  were  ill  suited  to  their  situation. 

In  order  to  understand  the  ""S  in  ver.  3,  vers.  3  and  4  must 
be  taken  together.  They  hung  up  their  citherns;  for  though 
their  lords  called  upon  them  to  sing  in  order  that  they  migiit 
divert  themselves  with  their  national  songs,  they  did  not  feel 
themselves  in  the  mind  for  singing  songs  as  they  once  resounded 
at  the  divine  services  of  their  native  land.  The  LXX.,  Tar- 
gum,  and  Syriac  take  livpin  as  a  synonym  of  ^3*^11*'^  synonymous 
with  ^3\p7VJ',  and  so,  in  fact,  that  it  signifies  not,  like  ^^it^',  the 
spoiled  and  captive  one,  but  the  spoiler  and  he  who  takes  others 
prisoners.  But  there  is  no  Aramaic  p}^  =  7p'^\  It  might  more 
readily  be  referred  back  to  a  Poel  ^^'^^  (=  ^^[}),  to  disappoint, 
deride  (Hitzig)  ;  but  the  usage  of  the  language  does  not  favour 
this,  and  a  stronger  meaning  for  the  word  would  be  welcome. 
Either  Wn^ppinn,  like  ''^i'^P,  cii.  9,  signifies  the  raving  one, 
i.e.  a  bloodthirsty  man  or  a  tyrant,  or  from  by,  ejtilare,  one  who 
causes  the  cry  of  woe  or  a  tormentor, — a  signification  which 
commends  itself  in  view  of  the  words  3y'in  and  T'P^Ji),  which  are 
likewise  formed  with  the  preformative  n.  According  to  the 
sense  the  word  ranks  itself  with  an  IJiph.  ^''^'^^,  like  ^^P^,  '""^^in, 
with  H'^n  and  n'»3in,  in  a  mainly  abstract  signiHcntion  (Dirtrich, 
Ahhnmlhmgen,  S.  160  f.).  The  ^:inT  beside  Vir  is  used  as  in 
XXXV.  20,  Ixv.  4,  cv.  27,  cxlv.  5,  viz.  partitivcly,  dividing  up  the 
gcnitival  notion  of  the  species:  words  of  songs  as  being  parts 
or  fragments  of  the  national  treasury  of  song,  similar  to  I'U'O  a 
little  further  on,  on  which  RosenmUller  correctly  says  :  sacrum 


ooi  PSALM  CXXXVII.  l-d. 

aliquod  carmen  ex  veteribus  illis  suis  Sionicis.  With  tlie  ex- 
pression "  song  of  Zion  "  alternates  in  ver.  4  "  song  of  Jahve," 
which,  as  in  2  Chron.  xxix.  27,  cf.  1  Chron.  xxv.  7,  denotes 
sacred  or  liturgical  songs,  that  is  to  say,  songs  belonging  to 
Psalm  poesy  (including  the  Cantica). 

Before  ver.  4  we  have  to  imagine  that  they  answered  the 
request  of  the  Babylonians  at  that  time  in  the  language  that 
follows,  or  thought  thus  within  themselves  when  they  withdrew 
themselves  from  them.  The  meaning  of  the  interrogatory  ex- 
clamation is  not  that  the  singing  of  sacred  songs  in  a  foreign 
land  (pxb  nvin)  is  contrary  to  the  law,  for  the  Psalms  con- 
tinued to  be  sung  even  during  the  Exile,  and  were  also  enriched 
by  new  ones.  But  the  sliir  had  an  end  during  tiie  Exile,  in  so 
far  as  that  it  was  obliged  to  retire  from  publicity  into  the  quiet 
of  the  family  worship  and  of  the  houses  of  prayer,  in  order  that 
that  which  is  holy  might  not  be  profaned ;  and  since  it  was  not, 
as  at  home,  accompanied  by  the  trumpets  of  the  priests  and  the 
music  of  the  Levites,  it  became  more  recitative  than  singing 
properly  so  called,  and  therefore  could  not  afford  any  idea  of 
the  singing  of  their  native  land  in  connection  with  the  worship 
of  God  on  Zion.  From  the  striking  contrast  between  the 
present  and  the  former  times  the  people  of  the  Exile  had  in 
fact  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  their  sins,  in  order  that  they 
might  get  back  by  the  way  of  penitence  and  earnest  longing  to 
that  which  they  had  lost.  Penitence  and  home-sickness  were 
at  that  time  inseparable ;  for  all  those  in  wdiom  the  remem- 
brance of  Zion  was  lost  gave  themselves  over  to  heathenism 
and  were  excluded  from  the  redemption.  The  poet,  translated 
into  the  situation  of  the  exiles,  and  arming  himself  against  the 
temptation  to  apostasy  and  the  danger  of  denying  God,  there- 
fore says  :  If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem,  '^''P'  nst^'n.  ns'J'n  has 
been  taken  as  an  address  to  Jahve  :  obliviftcaris  dexterce  mece 
(e.g.  Wolfgang  Dachstein  in  his  song  '■'■An  Wasserjlusseii  Babi/- 
lon"),  but  it  is  far  from  natural  that  Jerusalem  and  Jahve 
should  be  addressed  in  one  clause.  Others  take  ^^''^]  as  the  sub- 
ject and  na^'ri  transitively :  obliviscatur  dextera  mea,  scil.  artem 
jtsallend'i  (Aben-Ezra,  Kimchi,  Pagninus,  Grotius,  Hengsten- 
berir,  and  others)  ;  but  this  ellipsis  is  arbitrary,  and  the  inter- 
])olation  of  "'3'?  after  ''T^\  (von  Ortenberg,  following  Olshausen) 
])roduces  an  inelegant  cadence.     Others  again  assign  a  passive 


PSAI.M  CXXXVII.  7-9,  335 

sense  to  ny^'n:  ohUvioni  detur  (LXX.,  Italic,  Vulgate,  and 
Luther),  or  a  half-passive  sense,  iri  obtivione  sit  (Jerome)  ;  but 
the  thought :  let  my  right  hand  be  forgotten,  is  awkward  and 
tame.  Ohlivlscatur  me  (Syriac,  Saadia,  and  the  Psalterium 
Romanum)  comes  nearer  to  the  true  meaning,  nsy'n  is  to  be 
taken  reflexively :  ohliviscatur  sui  ipsiiis,  let  it  forget  itself,  or 
its  service  (Amyraldus,  Schultens,  Ewald,  and  Hitzig),  which 
is  equivalent  to  let  it  refuse  or  fail,  become  lame,  become  be- 
numbed, much  the  same  as  we  say  of  the  arms  or  legs  that 

they  "  go  to  sleep,"  and  just  as  the  Arabic  ^-*wj  signifies  both 

to  forget  and  to  become  lame  (cf.  Gesenius,  Thesaurus,  p.  9216). 
La  Harpe  correctly  renders:  0  Jerusalem  !  si  je  i'oublie jamais^ 
que  ma  main  oublie  aussi  le  mouvement !  Thus  there  is  a  cor- 
respondence between  vers.  5  and  6 :  My  tongue  shall  cleave  to 
my  palate  if  I  do  not  remember  thee,  if  I  do  not  raise  Jeru- 
salem above  the  sum  of  my  joy.  ^372TX  has  the  affixed  Chirek, 
with  which  these  later  Psalms  are  so  fond  of  adorning  them- 
selves. K'Ni  is  apparently  used  as  in  cxix.  160  :  supra  summam 
(the  totality)  Icetitiie  mece^  as  Coccejus  explains,  h.e.  supra 
omnem  Icetitiam  meam.  But  why  not  then  more  simply  ^3  bv, 
above  the  totality  ?  U'NT  here  signifies  not  KecfxiXacov,  but 
Ke(f)a\i] :  if  I  do  not  place  Jerusalem  upon  the  summit  of  my 
joy,  i.e.  my  highest  joy  ;  therefore,  if  I  do  not  cause  Jerusalem 
to  be  my  very  highest  joy.  His  spiritual  joy  over  the  city  of 
God  is  to  soar  above  all  earthly  joys. 

Vers.  7-9.  The  second  part  of  the  Psalm  supplicates 
vengeance  upon  Edom  and  Babylon.  We  see  from  Obadiah's 
prophecy,  which  is  taken  up  again  by  Jeremiah,  how  shame- 
•fuUy  the  Edomites,  that  brother-people  related  by  descent  to 
Israel  and  yet  pre-eminently  hostile  to  it,  behaved  in  connec- 
tion with  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Chaldajans  as 
their  malignant,  rapacious,  and  inhuman  helpers.  The  re- 
peated iniper.  Piel  ^"iV,  from  nny  (not  impcr.  Kal  from  "^"^V,  which 
would  be  i"i'y),  ought  to  have  been  accented  on  the  ult. ;  it  is, 
liowever,  in  both  cases  accented  on  the  first  syllable,  the  pausal 

^iy  (cf.  '(''3  in  xxxvii.  20,  and  also  IBH,  Neh.  viii.  11)  giving  rise 
to  the  same  accentuation  of  the  other  (in  order  that  two  tone- 
syllables  might  not  come  together).  The  Pasek  also  stands 
between  the  two  repeated  words  in   order  tliat  they  may  be 


336  PSALM  CXXXVII.  7-9. 

duly  separated,  and  secures,  moreover,  to  the  guttural  initial 
of  the  second  liV  its  distinct  pronunciation  (cf.  Gen.  xxvi.  28, 
Num.  XXXV.  16).  It  is  to  be  construed:  lay  bare,  lay  bare  (as 
in  Hab.  iii.  13,  cf.  r^bi  in  Mic.  i.  6)  in  it  {Beth  of  the  place),  or 
in  respect  of  it  (Beth  of  the  object),  even  to  the  foundation,  i.e 
raze  it  even  to  the  ground,  leave  not  one  stone  upon  another. 
From  the  false  brethren  the  imprecation  turns  to  Babylon,  the 
city  of  the  imperial  power  of  the  world.  The  daughter,  i.e. 
the  population,  of  Babylon  is  addressed  as  nn^nt^n.  It  certainly 
seems  the  most  natural  to  take  this  epithet  as  a  designation  of 
its  doings  which  cry  for  vengeance.  But  it  cannot  in  any  case 
be  translated:  thou  plunderer  (Syriac  like  the  Targum:  bozuzto; 
Symmachus  t]  Xrjarpk)^  for  l"!^  does  not  mean  to  rob  and 
plunder,  but  to  offer  violence  and  to  devastate.  Therefore : 
thou  devastator ;  but  the  word  so  pointed  as  we  have  it  before 
us  cannot  have  this  signification  :  it  ought  to  be  nin^rij  like 
nniJZi  in  Jer.  iii.  7,  10,  or  nnn^n  (with  an  unchangeable  a), 
corresponding  to  the  Syriac  active  intensive  form  dluso,  op- 
pressor,  godufo^   slanderer,   and    the   Arabic   likewise   active 

intensive  form  Jj^li,  e.g.  fdshus,  a  boaster,  and  also  as  an 

adjective  :  guz  fdshus,  empty  nuts,  cf.  tJnp^  =  K-'ip^,  a  fowler, 
like  ndtu7'  (nitoxj),  a  field-watcher.  The  form  as  it  stands  is 
partic.  jjass.,  and  signifies  irpovevofxev/jbivT]  (Aquila),  vastata 
(Jerome).  It  is  possible  that  this  may  be  said  in  the  sense  of 
vastanda,  although  in  this  sense  of  a  part.  fut.  pass,  the  parti- 
ciples of  the  Niphal  {e.g.  xxii.  32,  cii.  19)  and  of  the  Pual 
(xviii.  4)  are  more  commonly  used.  It  cannot  at  any  rate 
signify  vastata  in  an  historical  sense,  with  reference  to  the 
destruction  of  Babylon  by  Darius  Hystaspes  (Hengstenberg) ; 
for  ver.  7  only  prays  that  the  retribution  may  come :  it  cannot 
therefore  as  yet  have  been  executed;  but  if  mn^^'n  signified  tlie 
already  devastated  one,  it  must  (at  least  in  the  main)  have  been 
executed  already.  It  might  be  more  readily  understood  as  a 
prophetical  representation  of  the  executed  judgment  of  devas- 
tation ;  but  this  prophetic  rendering  coincides  with  the  impre- 
cative:  the  imagination  of  the  Semite  when  he  utters  a  curse 
sees  the  future  as  a  realized  fact.  "  Didst  thou  see  the  smitten 
one  {madrub),^'  i.e.  he  whom  God  must  smite?  Thus  the  Arab 
inquires  for  a  person  who  is  detested.     "  Pursue  him  who  is 


PSALM  CXXXVIII.  337 

seized  {illuik  el-ma  chudh),'  i.e.  him  whom  God  must  allow  thee 
to  seize  !  Tliey  speak  thus  inasmuch  as  the  imagination  at 
once  anticipates  the  seizure  at  the  same  time  with  the  pursuit. 
Just  as  here  both  madrub  and  machddh  are  participles  of  Kal^ 
so  therefore  nnn^n  may  also  have  the  sense  of  vastanda  (which 
must  be  laid  waste !).  That  which  is  then  further  desired  for 
Babylon  is  the  requital  of  that  which  it  has  done  to  Israel,  Isa. 
xlvii.  6.  It  is  the  same  penal  destiny,  comprehending  the  chil- 
dren also,  which  is  predicted  against  it  in  Isa.  xiii.  16-18,  as 
that  which  was  to  be  executed  by  the  Medes.  The  young  chil- 
dren (with  reference  to  /Piy,  p?^V,  vid.  on  viii.  3)  are  to  be  dashed 
to  pieces  in  order  that  a  new  generation  may  not  raise  up  again 
the  world-wide  dominion  that  has  been  overthrown,  Isa.  xiv. 
21  sq.  It  is  zeal  for  God  that  puts  such  harsh  words  into  the 
mouth  of  the  poet.  "  That  which  is  Israel's  excellency  and 
special  good  fortune  the  believing  Israelite  desires  to  have  be- 
stowed upon  the  whole  world,  but  for  this  very  reason  he  desires 
to  see  the  hostility  of  the  present  world  of  nations  against  the 
church  of  God  broken "  (Hofmann).  On  the  other  hand,  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  the  "  blessed"  of  this  Psalm  is  not  suited 
to  the  mouth  of  the  New  Testament  church.  In  the  Old 
Testament  the  church  as  yet  had  the  form  of  a  nation,  and  the 
longing  for  the  revelation  of  divine  righteousness  clothed  itself 
accordingly  in  a  warlike  gurb. 


PSALM    CXXXVIII. 

THE  MEDIATOR  AND  PERFECTER. 

1  I  WILL  give  thanks  unto  Thee  with  my  whole  heart, 
Before  the  gods  will  I  harp  unto  Thee. 

2  I  will  worship  towards  Thy  holy  Temple, 

And  give  thanks  unto  Thy  Name  because  of  Thy  mercy  and 

Thy  truth, 
That  Thou  hast  magnified  Thy  promise  above  all  Thy  Name. 

3  In  the  day  that  I  called  Tiiou  didst  answer  me, 

Thou  didst  inspire  me   with  courage — a  lofty  feeling  per- 
vaded my  soul. 
VOL.  in.  22 


338  PSALM  CXXXVIII. 

4  All  the  kings  of  the  earth  shall  give  thanks  unto  Thee,  .Tahve, 
When  they  have  heard  the  utterances  of  Thy  mouth  • 

5  And  they  shall  sing  of  the  ways  of  Jahve, 
That  great  is  the  glory  of  Jahve : 

<5  For  exalted  is  Jahve  and  He  seeth  the  lowly, 
And  the  proud  He  knoweth  well  afar  off. 

7  If  I  walk  in  the  midst  of  trouble,  Thou  dost  revive  me, 
Over  the  wrath  of  mine  enemies  dost  Thou  stretch  forth 

Thy  hand, 
And  Thy  right  hand  saveth  me. 

8  Jahve  will  perfect  for  me; 

Jahve,  Thy  mercy  endureth  for  ever, 

The  work  of  Thy  hands — Thou  wilt  not  forsake  it. 

There  will  come  a  time  when  the  praise  of  Jahve,  which 
according  to  cxxxvii.  3  was  obliged  to  be  dumb  in  the  presence 
of  the  heathen,  will,  according  to  cxxxviii.  5,  be  sung  by  the 
kings  of  the  heathen  themselves.  In  the  LXX.  Ps.  cxxxvii. 
side  by  side  with  rw  AavlB  also  has  the  inscription  'lepefxlov, 
and  Ps.  cxxxviii.  has  ^Ayyalov  koI  Za'^aplov.  Perhaps  these 
statements  are  meant  to  refer  back  the  existing  recension  of 
the  text  of  the  respective  Psalms  to  the  prophets  named  (vid. 
Kohler,  Haggai,  S.  33).  From  the  fact  that  these  names  of 
psalmodists  added  by  the  LXX.  do  not  come  down  beyond 
Malachi,  it  follows  that  the  Psalm-collection  in  the  mind  of 
the  LXX.  was  made  not  later  than  in  the  time  of  Nehemiah. 

The  speaker  in  Ps.  cxxxviii.,  to  follow  the  lofty  expectation 
expressed  in  ver.  4,  is  himself  a  king,  and  according  to  the  in- 
scription, David.  There  is,  however,  nothing  to  favour  his 
being  the  author;  the  Psalm  is,  in  respect  of  the  Davidic 
Psalms,  composed  as  it  were  out  of  the  soul  of  David — an  echo 
<3f  2  Sam.  ch.  vii.  (1  Chron.  ch.  xvii.).  The  superabundant 
promise  which  made  the  throne  of  David  and  of  his  seed  an 
eternal  throne  is  here  gratefully  glorified.  The  Psalm  can 
at  any  rate  be  understood,  if  with  Hengstenberg  we  suppose 
that  it  expresses  the  lofty  self-consciousness  to  which  David 
was  raised  after  victorious  battles,  when  he  humbly  ascribed  the 
glory  to  God  and  resolved  to  build  Him  a  Temple  in  place  of 
the  tent  upon  Zion. 


PSALM  CXXXVJII.  1,  2,  339 

Vers.  1,  2  The  poet  will  give  thanks  to  Illin,  whom  ho 
means  without  mentioning  Him  by  name,  for  His  mercy,  i.e. 
His  anticipating,  condescending  love,  and  for  His  truth,  i.e. 
truthfulness  and  faithfulness,  and  more  definitely  for  having 
magnified  His  promise  ('"^"i^^)  above  all  His  Name,  i.e.  that  He 
has  given  a  promise  which  infinitely  surpasses  everything  by 
which  He  has  hitlierto  established  a  name  and  memorial  for 
Himself  (lQ"kJ'"73"7y,  with  0  instead  of  u,  an  anomaly  that  is 
noted  by  the  Masora,  vid.  Baer's  Psalterium,  p.  133).  If  tlfe 
promise  by  the  mouth  of  Nathan  (2  Sam.  ch.  vii.)  is  meant, 
then  we  may  compare  2  Sam.  vii.  21.  ?']3,  ^n2,  npna  are  re- 
j)eated  in  that  promise  and  its  echo  coming  from  the  heart  of 
David  so  frequently,  that  this  ^PV.'}  seems  like  a  hint  pointing 
to  that  history,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  crises  in  the 
history  of  salvation.  The  expression  D""n^N  ij:  also  becomes 
intelligible  from  this  history.  Ewald  renders  it:  "in  the  pre- 
sence of  God!"  which  is  surely  meant  to  say:  in  the  holy 
place  (De  Wette,  Olshausen).  But  "  before  God  will  I  sing 
praise  to  Thee  (O  God!)"— what  a  jumble!  The  LXX. 
renders  ivavTiov  dyyeXcov,  which  is  in  itself  admissible  and 
full  of  meaning,*  but  without  coherence  in  the  context  of  the 
Psalm,  and  also  is  to  be  rejected  because  it  is  on  the  whole 
very  questionable  whether  the  Old  Testament  language  uses 
Wnba  thus,  without  anything  further  to  define  it,  in  the  sense 
of  "  angels."  It  might  be  more  readily  rendered  "  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  gods,"  viz.  of  the  gods  of  the  peoples  (Hengsten- 
berg,  Ilupfeld,  and  Hitzig)  ;  but  in  order  to  be  understood  of 
gods  which  are  only  seemingly  such,  it  would  require  some 
addition.  Whereas  D^rvn  can  without  any  addition  denote  the 
magisterial  possessors  of  the  dignity  that  is  the  type  of  the 
divine,  as  follows  from  Ixxxii.  1  (cf.  xlv.  7)  in  spite  of  Knobel, 
Graf,  and  Hupfeld ;  and  thus,  too  (cf.  2'3^a  nj3  iu  cxix.  4G),  we 
understand  it  here,  with  Rashi,  Aben-Ezra,  Kimchi,  Flaminius, 
Bucer,  Clericus,  and  others.  What  is  meant  are  "the  great 
who  are  in  the  earth,"  2  Sam.  vii.  9,  with  whom  David,  inas- 
much as  he  became  king  from  being  a  shepherd,  is  ranked,  and 


*  Bellarmine :  Scin  me  p.tallejjtem  tihi  ah  angelis,  qui  tihi  assistitut,  videri 
et  nttenili  et  ideo  ita  cunsiderate  me  geram  in  psullendo,  ut  qui  inkllijam,  in 
quo  ihcalro  consislam. 


3-40  PSALM  CXXXVIII.  3-6. 

above  whom  he  has  been  lifted  up  by  the  promise  of  an  eternal 
kingship.  Before  these  earthly  "  gods  "  will  David  praise  the 
God  of  the  promise ;  they  shall  hear  for  their  salutary  con- 
fusion, for  their  willing  rendering  of  homage,  that  God  hath 
made  him  "  the  highest  with  respect  to  the  kings  of  the  earth" 
(Ixxxix.  28). 

Vers.  3-6.  There  are  two  things  for  which  the  poet  gives 
thanks  to  God :  He  has  answered  him  in  the  days  of  trouble 
connected  with  his  persecution  by  Saul  and  in  all  distresses ; 
and  by  raising  him  to  the  throne,  and  granting  him  victory 
upon  victory,  and  promising  him  the  everlasting  possession  of 
the  throne.  He  has  filled  him  with  a  proud  courage,  so  that 
lofty  feeling  has  taken  up  its  abode  in  his  soul,  which  was 
formerly  fearful  about  help.  Just  as  nm  signifies  impetuosity, 
vehemence,  and  then  also  a  monster,  so  3^i}i.O  signifies  both  to 
break  in  upon  one  violently  and  overpoweringly  (Cant.  vi.  5  ; 
cf.  Syriac  arheb,  Arabic  arhaha,  to  terrify),  and  to  make  any 
one  courageous,  bold,  and  confident  of  victory.  Tj?  ''^•a^B  forms 
a  corollary  to  the  verb  that  is  marked  by  Mngrash  or  Dechi : 
so  that  in  my  soul  there  was  TV,  i.e.  power,  viz.  a  consciousness 
of  power  (cf.  Judg.  v.  21).  The  thanksgiving,  which  he,  the 
king  of  the  promise,  offers  to  God  on  account  of  this,  will  be 
transmitted  to  all  the  kings  of  the  earth  when  they  shall  hear 
(^V^^  in  the  sense  of  a  fiit.  exactum)  the  words  of  His  mouth, 
i.e.  the  divine  "Tl^^',  and  they  shall  sing  of  (1''^  with  3,  like 
3  inT  in  Ixxxvii.  3,  3  ty'^  in  cv.  2  and  frequently,  3  7?n  in  xliv. 
9,  3  varn  in  xx.  8,  and  the  like)  the  ways  of  the  God  of  the 
history  of  salvation,  they  shall  sing  that  great  is  the  glory  of 
Jahve.  Ver.  6  tells  us  by  what  means  He  has  so  super-glori- 
ously  manifested  Himself  in  His  leadings  of  David.  He  has 
shown  Himself  to  be  the  Exalted  One  who  in  His  all-embracing 
rule  does  not  leave  the  lowly  (cf.  David's  confessions  in  cxxxi. 
1,  2  Sam.  vi.  22)  unnoticed  (cxiii.  6),  but  on  the  contrary 
makes  him  the  especial  object  of  His  regard;  and  on  the  other 
hand  even  from  afar  (cf.  cxxxix.  2)  He  sees  through  (V"]^  as  in 
xciv.  11,  Jer.  xxix.  23)  the  lofty  one  who  thinks  himself  un- 
observed and  conducts  himself  as  if  he  were  answerable  to  no 
higher  being  (x.  4).  In  correct  texts  n33l  has  Mugrash,  and 
pniDD  Mercha.  The  form  of  the  fnt.  Kal  J^lll  is  formed  after 
the  analogy  of  the  Iliphil  forms  ^'vl^,  in  Isa.  xvi.  7,  and  fre- 


PSALM  CXXXVIII.  7,  8.  841 

quently,  and  ^'^'.^  in  Job  xxiv.  21  ;  pro1)ably  the  word  is 
intended  to  be  all  the  more  emphatic,  inasmuch  as  the  first 
radical,  which  disappears  in  VT.,  is  thus  in  a  certain  measure 
restored.* 

Vers.  7,  8.  Out  of  these  experiences — so  important  for 
all  mankind — of  David,  who  has  been  exalted  by  passing 
through  humiliation,  there  arise  for  him  confident  hopes  con- 
cerning the  future.  The  beginning  of  this  strophe  calls  xxiii. 
4  to  mind.  Though  his  way  may  lead  through  the  midst  of 
heart-oppressing  trouble,  Jahve  will  loose  these  bands  of  death 
and  quicken  him  afresh  (n'n  as  in  xxx.  4,  Ixxi.  20,  and  fre- 
quently). Though  his  enemies  may  rage,  Jahve  will  stretch 
forth  His  hand  threateningly  and  tranquillizintily  over  their 
wrath,  and  His  right  hand  will  save  him.  1}"^''.  is  the  subject 
according  to  cxxxix.  10  and  other  passages,  and  not  (for  why 
should  it  be  supposed  to  be  this?)  accus.  instrumenti  (vid.  Ix.  7). 
In  ver.  8  "li^V  is  intended  just  as  in  Ivii.  3 :  the  work  begun  He 
will  carry  out,  iinTeXeiv  (Pliil.  i.  6)  ;  and  ""Ip  (according  to  its 
meaning,  properly :  covering  me)  is  the  same  as  vV  in  that 
passage  (cf.  xiii.  6,  cxlii.  8).  The  pledge  of  this  completion  is 
Jahve's  everlasting  mercy,  which  will  not  rest  until  the  promise 
is  become  perfect  truth  and  reality.  Thus,  therefore.  He  will 
not  leave,  forsake  the  works  of  His  hands  (vid.  xc.  16  sq.),  i.e.y 
as  Hengstenberg  correctly  explains,  everything  that  He  has 
hitherto  accomplished  for  David,  from  his  deliverance  out  of 
the  hands  of  Saul  down  to  the  bestowment  of  the  promise — 
He  will  not  let  one  of  His  works  stand  still,  and  least  of  all  one 
that  has  been  so  gloriously  begun,  i^^'^.'}  (whence  ^'}}^)  signifies 
to  slacken,  to  leave  slack,  i.e.  leave  uncarried  out,  to  leave  t» 


*  The  Greek  imperfects  with  the  double  (syllabic  and  temporal)  aug- 
ment, as  eapuu,  dvi'jyov,  are  similar.  Chajng'  also  regards  the  first  Jod 
in  these  forms  as  the  preformative  and  the  second  as  the  radical,  whereas 
Abulwalid,  Gramm.  ch.  xivi.  p.  170,  explains  the  first  as  a  prosthesis  and 
the  second  as  the  preformative.  According  to  the  view  of  others,  f.(j.  of 
Kimchi,  j;n"i>  might  be  fut.  Uipli.  weakened  from  ])y\'  iV''^''7)''),  which, 
apart  from  the  unsuitable  meaning,  assumes  a  change  of  consonants  that 
is  all  the  more  inadmissible  as  yn^  itself  springs  from  ynv  Nor  is  it  to  be 
supposed  that  yT*  is  modified  from   yn"  (Luzzatto,  §  197),  because  it  is 

EC  where  written  yn*\ 


342  PSALM  CXXXIX, 

itself,  as  in  Neli.  vi.  3.    ?N  expresses  a  negation  with  a  measure 
of  inward  excitement. 


PSALM    CXXXIX. 

ADORATION  OF  THE  OMNISCIENT  AND  OMNIPRESENT 
ONE. 

1  JAHVE,  Thou  searchest  and  knowest  me ! 

2  Thou  knowest  my  sitting  down  and  my  rising  up, 
Thou  understandest  my  thought  afar  off. 

3  My  path  and  my  lying  down  Thou  searchest, 
And  with  all  my  ways  art  Thou  familiar. 

4  For  there  is  not  a  word  on  my  tongue — 
Lo,  Thou,  O  Jahve,  knowest  it  altogether. 

5  Behind  and  before  dost  Thou  suri'ound  me, 
And  hast  laid  Thy  hand  upon  me. 

6  Incomprehensible  to  me  is  such  knowledge, 
It  is  too  high,  I  have  not  grown  up  to  it. 

7  Whither  could  I  go  from  Thy  Spirit, 

And  whither  could  I  flee  from  Thy  presence  ? ! 

8  If  I  should  ascend  to  heaven,  there  art  Thou  ; 

And  if  I  should  make  Hades  my  resting-place,  here  art 
Thou  also. 

9  If  I  should  raise  the  wings  of  the  morning, 

If  I  should  settle  down  at  the  extremity  of  the  sea — 

10  There  also  Tliy  hand  would  guide  me, 
And  Thy  right  hand  lay  hold  of  me. 

11  And  if  I  should  say  :  Let  nothing  but  darkness  enwrap  me, 
And  let  the  light  round  about  me  become  night — 

12  Even  the  darkness  would  not  be  too  dark  for  Thee, 
And  the  night  would  be  to  Thee  bright  as  the  day ; 
Darkness  and  light  are  alike  to  Thee. 

13  For  Thou  hast  brought  forth  my  reins. 

Thou  didst  interweave  me  in  my  mother's  womb. 

14  I  give  Thee  thanks  that  I  am  fearfully,  wonderfully  made; 
Wonderful  are  Thy  works. 

And  my  soul  knoweth  it  right  well. 


rsALM  cxxxix.  343 

15  My  bones  were  not  hid  Jen  from  Thee, 
I  who  was  wrought  in  secret, 

Curiously  wrouglit  in  the  depths  of  the  earth. 

16  When  an  embryo  Thine  eyes  saw  me, 
And  in  Thy  book  were  they  all  written  ; 
Days  which  were  already  sketched  out, 
And  for  it  one  among  them. 

17  And  how  precious  are  Thy  thoughts  unto  me,  O  God, 
How  mighty  is  their  sum  ! 

18  If  I  would  count  them,  they  are  more  than  the  sand; 
I  awake  and  I  am  still  with  Thee. 

19  Oh  that  Thou  wouldest  slay  the  wicked,  Eloah  ; 
And  ye  men  of  blood-guiltiness,  depart  from  me! 

20  Tiiey  who  mention  Thee  craftily, 
Speak  out  deceitfully — Thine  adversaries. 

21  Should  I  not  hate  those  who  hate  Thee,  Jahve, 

And  be  indignant  at  those  who  rise  up  against  Thee? ! 

22  "With  the  utmost  hatred  do  I  hate  them, 
They  are  to  me  as  mine  own  enemies. 

23  Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart. 
Prove  me  and  know  my  thoughts, 

24  And  see  whether  there  is  in  me  any  way  of  pain, 
And  lead  me  in  the  everlasting  way ! 

In  this  Aramaizing  Psalm  what  the  preceding  Psalm  says  in 
ver.  6  comes  to  be  carried  into  effect,  viz. :  for  Jahve  is  exalted 
arid  He  seeth  the  lowly,  and  the  proud  He  knoweth  from  afar. 
This  Psalm  has  manifold  points  of  contact  with  its  predecessor. 
From  a  theological  point  of  view  it  is  one  of  the  most  instruc- 
tive of  the  Psalms,  and  both  as  regards  its  contents  and  poetic 
character  in  every  way  worthy  of  David.  But  it  is  only 
inscribed  TiV^  because  it  is  composed  after  the  Davidic  model, 
and  is  a  counterpart  to  such  Psalms  as  Ps.  xix.  and  to  other 
Davidic  didactic  Psalms.  For  the  addition  n^ivh  neither 
proves  its  ancient  Davidic  origin,  nor  in  a  general  way  its 
origin  in  the  period  prior  to  the  Exile,  as  Ps.  Ixxiv.  for 
example  shows,  which  was  at  any  rate  not  composed  prior  to 
the  time  of  the  Chaldaean  catastrophe. 

The   Psalm   falls  into   three    parts:    vers.    li^-12,    lo-lS, 


344  PSAUI  CXXXIX.  1-7. 

19-24  ;  the  strophic  arrangement  is  not  clear.  The  first  part 
celebrates  the  Omniscient  and  Omnipresent  One.  The  poet 
knows  that  he  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  God's  knowledge 
and  His  presence ;  His  Spirit  is  everywhere  and  cannot  be 
avoided  ;  and  His  countenance  is  turned  in  every  direction 
and  inevitably,  in  wrath  or  in  love.  In  the  second  part  the 
poet  continues  this  celebration  with  reference  to  the  origin  of 
man  ;  and  in  the  third  part  he  turns  in  profound  vexation  of 
spirit  towards  the  enemies  of  such  a  God,  and  supplicates  for 
himself  His  proving  and  guidance.  In  vers.  1  and  4  God  is 
called  Jahve,  in  ver.  17  El,  in  ver.  19  Eloah,  in  ver.  21  again 
Jahve,  and  in  ver.  23  again  £1.  Strongly  as  this  Psalm  is 
marked  by  the  depth  and  pristine  freshness  of  its  ideas  and 
feeling,  the  form  of  its  language  is  still  such  as  is  without 
precedent  in  the  Davidic  age.  To  all  appearance  it  is  the 
Aramseo-Hebrew  idiom  of  the  post-exilic  period  pressed  into 
the  service  of  poetry.  The  Psalm  apparently  belongs  to  those 
Psalms  which,  in  connection  with  a  thoroughly  classical  cha- 
racter of  form,  bear  marks  of  the  influence  which  the  Aramaic 
language  of  the  Babylonian  kingdom  exerted  over  the  exiles. 
This  influence  affected  the  popular  dialect  in  the  first  instance, 
but  the  written  language  also  did  not  escape  it,  as  the  Books  of 
Daniel  and  Ezra  show  ;  and  even  the  poetry  of  the  Psalms  is 
riot  without  traces  of  this  retrograde  movement  of  the  lan- 
guage of  Israel  towards  the  language  of  the  patriarchal  an- 
cestral house.  In  the  Cod.  Alex.  Za'^apLov  is  added  to  the  tc3 
AavlS  T/raX/i09,  and  by  a  second  hand  eV  t^  Zcaairopa,  which 


Vers.  1-7.  The  Aramaic  forms  in  this  strophe  are  the 
arra^  \eyofi.  V"}.  (ground-form  !'V"!)  in  vers.  2  and  17,  endea- 
vour, desire,  thinking,  like  n^yi.  and  iVVI  in  the  post-exilic 
books,  from  nyn  (J^V"!),  cupere,  co</itare ;  and  the  utt.  Xey.  i'^i 
in  ver.  3,  equivalent  to  Y^"},  a  lying  down,  if  "•y^n  be  not  rather 
an  infinitive  like  ''Vbli  in  Job  vii.  19,  since  ''niN  is  undoubtedly 
not  inflected  from  nnx,  but,  as  being  infinitive,  like  ''"]3y  in 
Deut.  iv.  21,  from  nns ;  and  the  verb  ^n^jt  also,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  this  passage,  only  occurs  in  the  speeches  of  Elihu 
<'Job  xxxiv.  8),  which  are  almost  more  strongly  Aramaizing 
than  the  Book  of  Job  itself.     Further,  as  an  Aramaizing  fea- 


rsALM  cxxxi:^.  1-7.  345 

tuve  we  have  the  objective  relation  marked  by  Lamed  in  the 
expression  'i';}p  '"'^2?,  Tliou  understandest  my  thinking,  as  in 
cxvi.  16,  cxxix.  3,  cxxxv.  11,  cxxxvi.  19  sq.  The  monostichic 
opening  is  after  the  Davidic  style,  e.g.  xxiii.  16.  Among  the 
prophets,  Isaiah  in  particular  is  fond  of  such  thematic  intro- 
ductions as  we  have  here  in  ver.  lb.  On  H^il  instead  of 
''}Ti'^\  '"id.  on  evil.  20 ;  the  pronominal  object  stands  once 
beside  the  first  verb,  or  even  beside  the  second  (2  Kings  ix. 
25),  instead  of  twice  (Hitzig).  The  "  me"  is  then  expanded  : 
sitting  down,  rising  up,  walking  and  lying,  are  the  sum  of 
human  conditions  or  states.  ^V"}.  is  the  totality  or  sum  of  the 
life  of  the  spirit  and  soul  of  man,  and  ^?"JT  the  sum  of  human 
action.  The  divine  knowledge,  as  Vy^})  says,  is  the  result  of 
the  scrutiny  of  man.  The  poet,  however,  in  vers.  2  and  3 
uses  the  perfect  throughout  as  a  mood  of  that  which  is  practi- 
cally existing,  because  that  scrutiny  is  a  scrutiny  that  is  never 
unexecuted,  and  the  knowledge  is  consequently  an  ever-present 
knowledge,  pinip  is  meant  to  say  that  He  sees  into  not  merely 
the  thought  that  is  fully  fashioned  and  matured,  but  even  that 
which  is  being  evolved,  nnr  from  n"ir  is  combined  by  Luther 
(with  Azulai  and  others)  with  ">T,  a  icreath  (from  ">1T,  consti-in- 
gerej  cingere),  inasmuch  as  he  renders  :  whether  I  walk  or  lie 
down.  Thou  art  round  about  me  {Ich  gelie  oder  lige,  so  histu 
vmb  mich).  niT  ought  to  have  the  same  meaning  here,  if  with 
Wetzstein  one  were  to  compare  the  Arabic,  and  more  particu- 
larly Beduin,  ^c,j,  dherrd,  to  protect;  the  notion  of  affording 
protection  does  not  accord  with  this  train  of  thought,  which  has 
reference  to  God's  omniscience  :  what  ought  therefore  to  be 
meant  is  a  hedging  round  which  secures  its  object  to  the  know- 
ledge, or  even  a  protecting  that  places  it  in  security  against 
any  exchanging,  which  will  not  suffer  the  object  to  escape  it.* 


•  This  Verb.  tert.  ^  cf  ^_5  is  old,  and  the  derivative  dlieru,  protection, 
is  an  elegant  word  ;  with  reference  to  another  derivative,  dhertre,  a  wall  of 
rock  protecting  one  from  the  winds,  vid.  Job,  ii.  23,  note.  The  II.  form 
{Piel)  signifies  to  protect  in  the  widest  possible  sense,  e.g.  (in  Ne.shtcdit.  ii. 

3436),  "  iuLli  ^jJ,  he  protected  the  sheep  (against  being  exchanged) 
by  leaving  a  lock  of  wool  upon  their  backs  when  they  were  shorn,  by  which 
they  might  be  r  coLirsed  among  other  sheep." 


34.G  PSALM  CXXXIX.  1-7. 

The  Arabic  (_^ju>,  to  know,  which  is  far  removed  in  sound,  is 

by  no  means  to  be  compared ;  it  is  related  to  1jl>,  to  push,  urge 
forward,  and  denotes  knowledge  that  is  gained  by  testing  and 

experimenting.  But  we  also  have  no  need  of  that  ^.J,  to 
protect,  since  we  can  remain  within  the  range  of  the  guaran- 
teed Hebrew  usage,  inasmuch  as  HIT,  to  winnow,  i.e.  to  spread 
out  that  which  has  been  threshed  and  expose  it  to  the  current 

of  the  wind,  in  Arabic  likewise  ^_j.j  (whence  '"•nT»,  midhrd^  a 
winnowing-fork,  like  nri"],  racht,  a  winnowing-shovel),  gives  an 
appropriate  metaphor.  Here  it  is  equivalent  to  :  to  investigate 
and  search  out  to  the  very  bottom ;  LXX.,  Symmachus,  and 
Tlieodotion,  e^f)(ylaaa<i,  after  which  the  Italic  renders  investi- 
(/asti,  and  Jerome  eventilasti.  P?'?'!'  with  the  accusative,  as  in 
Job  xxii.  21  with  0^:  to  enter  into  neighbourly,  close,  familiar 
relationship,  or  to  stand  in  such  relationship,  with  any  one  ; 

cogn.  \'y^,  ^^^.  God  is  acquainted  with  all  our  ways  not  only 
superficially,  but  closely  and  thoroughly,  as  that  to  which  He 
is  accustomed. 

In  ver.  4  this  omniscience  of  God  is  illustratively  corrobo- 
rated with  ■'3  ;  ver.  4Z>  has  the  value  of  a  relative  clause,  which, 
however,  takes  the  form  of  an  independent  clause,  npo  (pro- 
nounced by  Jerome  in  his  letter  to  Sunnia  and  Fretela,  §  82, 
MALA)  is  an  Aramaic  word  that  has  been  already  incorpo- 
rated in  the  poetry  of  the  Davidico-Salomonic  age.  J^^p  sig- 
nifies both  all  of  it  and  every  one.  In  ver.  5  Luther  has  been 
misled  by  the  LXX.  and  Vulgate,  which  take  "i^V  in  the  signi- 
fication formare  (whence  nniv,  forma) ;  it  signifies,  as  the 
definition  "  behind  and  before"  shows,  to  surround,  encompass. 
God  is  acquainted  with  man,  for  He  holds  him  surrounded  on 
all  sides,  and  man  can  do  nothing,  if  God,  whose  confining 
hand  he  has  lying  upon  him  (Job  ix.  23),  does  not  allow  him 
the  requisite  freedom  of  motion.  Instead  of  ^J^y"!  (LXX.  17 
<yvb)(Tt<i  <Tov)  the  poet  purposely  says  in  ver.  ^a  merely  T\T[ :  a 
knowledge,  so  all-penetrating,  all-comprehensive  as  God's  know- 
ledge. The  Keri  reads  •"iN'-ps,  but  the  Chet/nb  "'si's)  is  sup- 
ported by  the  Cliethib  ''^?.^3  in  Judg.  xiii.  18,  the  Keri  of  which 
there  is  not  N7Q,  but  v3  (the  pausal  form  of  an  adjective  ''^S, 


rSALM  CXXXIX  8-12  347 

the  feminine  of  which  would  be  ^'?3).  With  ^3B0  the  tran- 
scendence, with  naaifo  the  unattainableness,  and  with  ^3^S"N^ 
•^?  the  inconiprehensibleness  of  the  fact  of  the  omniscience  of 
God  is  exjjressed,  and  with  this,  to  the  mind  of  the  poet,  coin- 
cides God's  omnipresence  ;  for  true,  not  merely  phenomenal, 
knowledge  is  not  possible  without  the  immanence  of  the  know- 
ing one  in  the  thing  known.  God,  however,  is  omnipresent, 
sustaining  the  life  of  all  things  by  His  Spirit,  and  revealing 
Himself  either  in  love  or  in  wrath, — what  the  poet  styles  His 
countenance.  To  flee  from  this  omnipresence  (IP,  away  from), 
as  the  sinner  and  he  who  is  conscious  of  his  guilt  would  gladly 
do,  is  impossible.  Concerning  the  first  n:K^  which  is  here 
accented  on  the  ultima^  vid.  on  cxvi.  4. 

Vers.  8-12.  The  future  form  PDN*,  customary  in  thcxVramaic, 
may  be  derived  just  as  well  from  Pr'9  (P,??),  by  means  of  the 
same  mode  of  assimilation  as  in  3b^  =  3'3D*,  as  from  PDJ  (PC3), 
which  latter  is  certainly  only  insecurely  established  by  Dan. 
vi.  24,  ni^DJni)  (cf.  npt^nb,  Ezra  iv.  22 ;  ps:n,  Dan.  v.  2),  since 
the  Nun,  as  in  i^^WO^,  Dan.  iv.  3,  can  also  be  a  compensation 
for  the  resolved  doubling  (yid.  Bernstein  in  the  Lexicon  Chres- 
tom.  KirscldancB,  and  Levy  s.v.  pp^).  D5<  with  the  simple  future 
is  followed  by  cohortatives  (yid.  on  Ixxiii.  16)  with  the  equiva- 
lent i^ti'X  among  them :  et  si  stratum  facerem  {mild)  infermtm 
(accusative  of  the  object  as  in  Isa.  Iviii.  5),  etc.  In  other 
passages  the  wings  of  the  sun  (Mai.  iii.  20  [iv.  2])  and  of  the 
wind  (xviii.  11)  are  mentioned,  here  we  have  the  wings  of  the 
morning's  dawn.  PenncB  aurorce,  Eugubinus  observes  (1548), 
est  velocissimus  aurorce  per  omnem  mundum  decursus.  It  is 
therefore  to  be  rendered :  If  I  should  lift  wings  (D^'SJ?  Nb'J  as 
in  Ezek.  x.  16,  and  frequently)  such  as  the  dawn  of  the  morning 
has,  i.e.  could  I  fly  with  the  swiftness  with  which  the  dawn  of 
the  morning  spreads  itself  over  the  eastern  sky,  towards  the 
extreme  west  and  alight  there.  Heaven  and  Hades,  as  being 
that  which  is  superterrestrial  and  subterrestrial,  and  the  east  and 
west  are  set  over  against  one  another.  D'  rinnx  is  the  extreme 
end  of  the  sea  (of  the  Mediterranean  with  the  "  isles  of  the  Gen- 
tiles" ).  In  ver.  10  follows  the  apodosis:  nowhere  is  the  hand 
of  God,  which  governs  everything,  to  be  escaped,  for  dextera 
Dei  uhique  est.  "loi^l  (not  ipxi,  Ezek.  xiii.  15),  "therefore  I 
spake,"  also   has  the  value  of  a  hypothetical  protasis :  ^»o£/si 


818  PSALM  CXXXIX.  13-18. 

dixerim.  ^N  and  ?It^^^  belong  togetlier:  merce  fenelrce  (vid. 
xxxix.  6  sq.)  ;  but  ^^r"i'^^.  is  obscure.  The  signification  secured 
to  it  of  conterere,  coiiiundere,  in  Gen.  iii.  15,  Job  ix.  17,  which 
is  followed  by  the  LXX.  (Vulgate)  Karairarrjaei^  is  inappro- 
priate to  darkness.  The  signification  inhiare,  which  may  be 
deduced  as  possible  from  ^'^^■^  suits  relatively  better,  yet  not 
thoroughly  well  (why  should  i^not  have  been  ■'^J?^?''.?).  The 
signification  ohvelare,  however,  which  one  expects  to  find,  and 
after  which  the  Targum,  Symmachus,  Jerome,  Saadia,  and 
others  render  it,  seems  only  to  be  guessed  at  from  the  con- 
nection, since  FiiC'  has  not  this  signification  in  any  other  instance, 
and  in  favour  of  it  we  cannot  appeal  either  to  flt^•J — whence 
^^y^,,  which  belongs  together  with  3^3,  D^3j  and  ti'SJ — or  to  ^PV, 
the  root  of  which  is  ID]}  ('""^V))  ^^  to  ^P^,  whence  ^Ti,  which  does 

not  signify  to  cover,  veil,  but  according  to  u_ix«:J,  to  fold,  fold 

together,  to  double.  We  must  therefore  either  assign  to  ''^S^tJ'' 
the  signification  operiat  me  without  being  able  to  prove  it,  or 
we  must  put  a  verb  of  this  signification  in  its  place,  viz.  ''ji^lt:'^ 
(Ewald)  or  "'^5'ii'^  (Bottcher),  which  latter  is  the  more  com- 
mendable here,  where  darkness  (^^n,  synon.  n2"'y,  fl^iyo)  is  the 
subject :  And  if  I  should  say,  let  nothing  but  darkness  cover 
me,  and  as  night  (the  predicate  placed  first,  as  in  Amos  iv.  13) 
let  the  light  become  about  me,  i.e.  let  the  light  become  night 
that  shall  surround  and  cover  me  (""^1^.2,  poetic  for  '''^y2,  like 
•'jrinn  in  2  Sam.  ch.  xxii.) — the  darkness  would  spread  abroad 
no  obscurity  (cv.  28)  that  should  extend  beyond  (\^)  Thy 
piercing  eye  and  remove  me  from  Thee.  In  the  word  "i''N^,  too, 
the  JJiphil  signification  is  not  lost:  the  night  would  give  out 
light  from  itself,  as  if  it  were  the  day ;  for  the  distinction  of 
day  and  night  has  no  conditioning  influence  upon  God,  who  is 
above  and  superior  to  all  created  things  (der  Uebercreatilrliclie), 
who  is  light  in  Himself.  The  two  3  are  correlative,  as  e.g.  in 
1  Kings  xxii.  4.  '"'3''K'n  (with  a  superfluous  Jod)  is  an  old 
word,  but  '"i"iix  (cf.  Aramaic  ^<^l"!i^<)  is  a  later  one. 

Vers.  13-18.  The  fact  that  man  is  manifest  to  God  even 
to  the  very  bottom  of  his  nature,  and  in  every  place,  is  now  con- 
firmed from  the  origin  of  man.  Tlie  development  of  the  child 
in  the  womb  was  looked  upon  by  the  Israehtish  Cliokma  as  one 
of  the  greatest  mysteries,  Eccles.  xi.  5;  and  here  the  poet 


rSALM  CXXXIX.  10    18.  349 

praises  this  coming  into  being  as  a  marvellous  work  of  the 
omniscient  and  omnipresent  omnipotence  of  God.  n:|3  here 
signifies  condere ;  and  "H^D  not :  to  cover,  protect,  as  in  cxl.  8, 
Job.  xl.  22,  prop,  to  cover  with  network,  to  hedge  in,  but :  to 
plait,  interweave,  viz.  with  bones,  sinews,  and  veins,  like  '^1?^' 
in  Job  X.  11.  The  reins  are  made  specially  prominent  in  order 
to  mark  them,  the  seat  of  the  tenderest,  most  secret  emotions,  as 
the  work  of  Him  who  trieth  the  heart  and  the  reins.  The  irpoa- 
€vxv  becomes  in  ver.  14  the  ev^apicrTia :  I  give  thanks  unto 
Thee  that  I  have  wonderfully  come  into  being  under  fearful 
circumstances,  i.e.  circumstances  exciting  a  shudder,  viz.  of 
astonishment  (nisii3  as  in  Ixv.  6).  '"733  (=  Np23)  is  the  passive 
to  "^^^n,  iv.  4,  xvii.  7.  Hitzig  regards  '"in^aj  (Thou  hast  shown 
Thyself  wonderful),  after  the  LXX.,  Syriac,  Vulgate,  and 
Jerome,  as  the  only  correct  reading ;  but  the  thought  which  is 
thereby  gained  comes  indeed  to  be  expressed  in  the  following 
line,  ver.  lib,  which  sinks  down  into  tautology  in  connection 
with  this  reading.  D^'V  (collectively  equivalent  to  D''P>*J?,  Eccles. 
xi.  5)  is  the  bones,  the  skeleton,  and,  starting  from  tiiat  idea, 
more  generally  the  state  of  being  as  a  sum-total  of  elements  of 
being.  i^'5<,  without  being  necessarily  a  conjunction  (Ew. 
§  333,  a),  attaches  itself  to  the  suffix  of  ^ovy.  Di^i,  "  to  be 
worked  in  different  colours,  or  also  embroidered,"  of  the  system 
of  veins  ramifying  the  body,  and  of  the  variegated  colouring  of 
its  individual  members,  more  particularly  of  the  inward  parts ; 
j)erhaps,  however,  more  generally  with  a  retrospective  conception 
of  the  colours  of  the  outline  following  the  undeveloped  begin- 
ning, and  of  the  forming  of  the  members  and  of  the  organism 
in  general.*  The  mother's  womb  is  here  called  not  merely  IjID 
(cf.  ^schylus'  Eumenides,  665  :  Iv  a-KOTOiai  vr]hvo<;  redpafifxiurj^ 
and  the  designation  of  the  place  where  the  foetus  is  formed  as 
"  a  threefold  darkness"  in  the  Koran,  Sur.  xxxix.  8),  the  e  of 
which  is  retained  here  in  pause  (vid.  Buttchcr,  Lehrhuch,  §  298), 
but  by  a  bolder  appellation  p.'?  rii'^O'!',  the  lowest  parts  of  the' 
earth,  i.e.  the  interior  of  the  earth  {vid.  on  Ixiii.  10)  as  being 
the  secret  laboratory  of  the  earthly  origin,  with  the  same  retro- 


*  In  the  Talmud  the  egg  of  a  bird  or  of  a  reptile  is  called  n?.:;i)nD, 
when  the  outlines  of  the  developed  embryo  are  visilJe  in  it ;  and  likewiau 
the  mole  {iiiola)^  when  traces  of  human  organiziition  can  be  discerned  in  it. 


350  PSALM  CXXXIX.  13-18. 

spective  reference  to  the  first  formation  of  the  human  body  out 
of  the  dust  of  the  earth,  as  when  Job  says,  ch.  i.  21 :  "  naked 
came  I  out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and  naked  shall  I  return 
thither" — '^^^,  viz.  el<s  rrjv  <yr]v  rrjv  /xrjTepa  irdvrwv,  Sir.  xl.  1. 
The  interior  of  Hades  is  also  called  bS^^  IDn  in  Jonah  ii.  3  [2], 
Sir.  li.  5.  According  to  the  view  of  Scripture  the  mode  of 
Adam's  creation  is  repeated  in  the  formation  of  every  man,  Job 
xxxiii.  6,  cf.  4.  The  earth  was  the  mother's  womb  of  Adam, 
and  the  mother's  womb  out  of  which  the  child  of  Adam  comes 
forth  is  the  earth  out  of  which  it  is  taken. 

(Ver.  16.)  The  embryo  folded  up  in  the  shape  of  an  egg  is 
here  called  D?ii,  from  Dpa,  to  roll  or  wrap  together  (cf .  glonms,  a 
ball),  in  the  Talmud  said  of  any  kind  of  unshapen  mass  (LXX. 
aKarepfyaaTov^  Symmachus  dfiopffxorov)  and  raw  material,  e.g. 
of  the  wood  or  metal  that  is  to  be  formed  into  a  vessel  {Clmllbi 
25a,  to  which  Saadia  has  already  referred).*  As  to  the  rest,  com- 
pare similar  retrospective  glances  into  the  embryonic  state  in  Job 
X.  8-12,  2  Mace.  vii.  22  sq.  {Psychology,  S.  209  ff.,  tr.  pp.  247 
sq.).  On  the  words  in  libra  tuo  Bellarmine  makes  the  follow- 
ing correct  observation :  quia  habes  apud  te  exemplaria  sive 
ideas  omnium,  quomodo  pictor  vel  sculptor  scit  ex  informi  materia 
quid  futurum  sit,  quia  videt  exemplar.  The  signification  of  the 
future  I2n3^.  is  regulated  by  Wi,  and  becomes,  as  relating  to  the 
synchronous  past,  scribebantur.  The  days  ^i5f.^,  which  were  al- 
ready formed,  are  the  subject.  It  is  usually  rendered :  "  the 
days  which  had  first  to  be  formed."  If  ^"i^*"  could  be  equiva- 
lent to  liJf]''! ,  it  would  be  to  be  preferred ;  but  this  rejection  of 
the  pra'form.  fut.  is  only  allowed  in  the  fut.  Piel  of  the  verbs 
Fe  Jod,  and  that  after  a  Waw  convertens,  e.g.  ti'5'1  =  ^?-'!?, 
Nah.  i.  4  (cf.  Caspari  on  Obad.  ver.  ll).t  Accordingly, 
assuming  the  original  character  of  the  vh  in  a  negative  signifi- 
cation, it  is  to  be  rendered :  The  days  which  were  (already) 
formed,  and  there  was  not  one  among  them,  i.e.  when  none 
among  them  had  as  yet  become  a  reality.     The  suffix  of  D?3 


*  Epiphanius,  Ilxr.  xxx.  §  31,  says  the  Hebrew  yo'Ki/.yi  signifies  the 
peeled  gi-ains  of  spelt  or  wheat  before  they  are  mixed  up  and  backed,  the 
still  raw  (only  bruised)  flour-grains — a  signification  that  can  now  no  longer 
be  supported  by  examples. 

t  But  outside  the  Old  Testament  it  also  occurs  in  the  Pual,  though  as  a 
wrong  use  of  the  word;  vide  my  Anekdota  (1841),  S.  372  f. 


rSALM  CXXXIX.  13-18.  351 

points  to  tlie  succeeding  Q'P^,  to  which  ^"^"^  is  appended  as  an 
attributive  clause  ;  Cir\z  nnx  iO]  is  subordinated  to  this  ^"iv* :  cum 
non  or  nondum  (Job  xxii.  16)  unus  hiter  eos  =  u)nif  eorum  (Ex. 
xiv.  28)  esset.  But  tlie  expression  (instead  of  n^n  Np  niyi  or 
nvi^  DiU)  remains  doubtful,  and  it  becomes  a  question  whether 
the  Kerl  lh  {vid.  on  c.  3),  which  stands  side  by  side  with  the 
Chethib  vh'\  (which  the  LXX.,  Aquila,  Symmachus,  Theodo- 
tion,  the  Targum,  Syriac,  Jerome,  and  Saadia  follow),  is  not 
to  be  preferred.  This  1^1,  referred  to  'D^3,  gives  the  acceptable 
meaning:  and  for  it  (viz.  its  birth)  one  among  them  (these 
days),  without  our  needing  to  make  any  change  in  the  proposed 
exposition  down  to  nx\  We  decide  in  favour  of  this,  because 
this  ur\2  ins  1^1  does  not,  as  ur\i  nns  vh\  make  one  feel  to  miss 
any  HNi^  and  because  the  ''^">  which  begins  ver.  17  connects 
itself  to  it  by  way  of  continuation.  The  accentuation  has 
failed  to  discern  the  reference  of  0^3  to  the  following  D"'D"', 
inasmuch  as  it  places  Oleicejored  against  un3\  Hupfeld  fol- 
lows this  accentuation,  referring  D^3  back  to  ''u?i  as  a  coil  of 
days  of  one's  life ;  and  Hitzig  does  the  same,  referring  it  to 
the  embryos.  But  the  precedence  of  the  relative  pronoun 
occurs  in  other  instances  also,*  and  is  devoid  of  all  harshness, 
especially  in  connection  with  DpZ),  which  directly  signifies  alto- 
gether {e.g.  Isa.  xliii.  14).  It  is  the  confession  of  the  omni- 
science that  is  united  with  the  omnipotence  of  God,  which  the 
poet  here  gives  utterance  to  with  reference  to  himself,  just  as 
Jahve  says  with  reference  to  Jeremiah,  Jer.  i.  5.  Among 
the  days  which  were  preformed  in  the  idea  of  God  (cf.  on 
nx^,  Isa.  xxii.  11,  xxxvii.  26)  there  was  also  one,  says  the  poet, 
for  the  embryonic  beginning  of  my  life.  The  divine  know- 
ledge embraces  the  beginning,  development,  and  completion  of 
all  things  (Psychology,  S.  37  ff.,  tr.  pp.  46  sqq.).  Tlie  know- 
ledge of  the  thoughts  of  God  which  are  written  in  the  book  of 
creation  and  revelation  is  the  poet's  cherished  possession,  and 
to  ponder  over  them  is  his  favourite  pursuit:  they  are  precious 
to  him,  ^"ip;  (after  xxxvi.  8),  not :  difficult  of  comprehension 
(schwerbegreijlich,  Maurer,  Olshausen),  after  Dan.  ii.  11,  which 


•  The  Hebrew  poet,  says  Gcscnius  {Lehrgehaude,  S.  7.30  f.),  sometimes 
nsea  the  pronoun  before  the  thing  to  which  it  referred  has  even  been 
spoken  of.  This  phenomenon  belongs  to  the  Hebrew  style  generally,  vid. 
in"  Anekdnta  (1841),  S.  382. 


352  PSALM  CXXXIX.  19-21. 

would  surely  have  been  expressed  by  ^PpV  (xcii.  6),  more  readily: 
very  weighty  {schioergewicldig,  Hitzig),  but  better  according  to 
the  prevailing  Hebrew  usage :  highly  valued  (schwergewerthet), 
cava*  "Their  sums"  are  powerful,  prodigious  (xl.  6),  and 
cannot  be  brought  to  a  sumvia  summarum.  If  he  desires  to 
count  them  {fut.  hypothet.  as  in  xci.  7,  Job  xx.  24),  they  prove 
themselves  to  be  more  than  the  sand  with  its  grains,  that  is  to 
say,  innumerable.  He  falls  asleep  over  the  pondering  upon 
them,  wearied  out ;  and  when  he  wakes  up,  he  is  still  with  God, 
i.e.  still  ever  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  the  Unsearchable 
One,  which  even  the  sleep  of  fatigue  could  not  entirely  inter- 
rupt. Ewald  explains  it  somewhat  differently :  if  I  am  lost  in 
the  stream  of  thoughts  and  images,  and  recover  myself  from 
this  state  of  reverie,  yet  I  am  still  ever  with  Thee,  without 
coming  to  an  end.  But  it  could  only  perhaps  be  inteipreted 
thus  if  it  were  ^riil^yn  or  "'fl'lliyn'?-  Hofmann's  interpretation 
is  altogether  different :  I  will  count  them,  the  more  numerous 
than  the  sand,  when  I  awake  and  am  continually  with  Thee, 
viz.  in  the  other  world,  after  the  awaking  from  the  sleep  of 
death.  This  is  at  once  impossible,  because  Ti^^pn  cannot  here, 
according  to  its  position,  be  a  perf.  hypotheticum.  Also  in  con- 
nection with  this  interpretation  lij?  would  be  an  inappropriate 
expression  for  "  continually,"  since  the  word  only  has  the  sense 
of  the  continual  duration  of  an  action  or  a  state  already  exist- 
ing ;  here  of  one  that  has  not  even  been  closed  and  broken  off 
by  sleep.  He  has  not  done ;  waking  and  dreaming  and  waking 
up,  he  is  carried  away  by  that  endless,  and  yet  also  endlessly 
attractive,  pursuit,  the  most  fitting  occupation  of  one  who  is 
awake,  and  the  sweetest  (cf.  Jer.  xxxi.  26)  of  one  who  is  asleep 
and  dreaming. 

Vers.  19-21.  And  this  God  is  by  many  not  only  not  be- 
lieved in  and  loved,  but  even  hated  and  blasphemed !  The 
poet  now  turns  towards  these  enemies  of  God  in  profound  vexa- 
tion of  spirit.  The  D^5,  which  is  conditional  in  ver.  8,  here  is 
an  optative  o  si,  as  in  Ixxxi.  9,  xcv.  7.  The  expression  ?bpn 
i!ii!?X  reminds  one  of  the  Book  of  Job,  for,  with  the  exception  of 
our  Psalm,  this  is  the  only  book  that  uses  the  verb  /^i^,  which 


•  It  should  be  noted  that  the  radical  idea  of  the  verb,  viz.  being  heavy 
(German  schice?-),  is  retained  in  all  these  renderings. — Tu. 


FSALM  CXXXIX.  19-21.  353 

is  more  Aramaic  than  Hebrew,  and  the  divine  name  Eloah 
occurs  more  frequently  in  it  than  anywhere  else.  Tiie  transi- 
tion from  the  optative  to  the  imperative  niD  is  difficult ;  it 
would  have  been  less  so  if  the  Waw  copul.  had  been  left  out : 
cf.  the  easier  expression  in  vi.  9,  cxix.  115.  But  we  may  not 
on  this  account  seek  to  read  ^"IW^,  as  Olshausen  does.  Every- 
thing here  is  remarkable;  the  whole  Psalm  has  a  characteristic 
form  in  respect  to  the  language.  "'30  is  the  ground-form  of  the 
overloaded  ^3'2p,  and  is  also  like  the  Book  of  Job,  ch.  xxi.  16, 
cf.  ^liO  ch.  iv.  12,  Ps.  Ixviii.  24.  The  mode  of  writing  inn^ 
(instead  of  which,  however,  the  Babylonian  texts  had  ^litpN')  is 
the  same  as  in  2  Sam.  xix.  15,  cf.  in  2  Sam.  xx.  9  the  same 
melting  away  of  the  Aleph  into  the  preceding  vowel  in  connec- 
tion with  Tnx,  in  2  Sam.  xxii.  40  in  connection  with  i?X,  and 
in  Isa.  xiii.  20  with  ?ns.  Construed  with  the  accusative  of  the 
person,  ii?X  here  signifies  to  declare  any  one,  projiteri,  a  mean- 
ing which,  we  confess,  does  not  occur  elsewhere.  But  ^^^P^ 
(cf.  '""?"!'?:)  ^^^^*  4  5  t^T^^  Targum  :  who  swear  by  Thy  name  for 
wantonness)  and  the  parallel  member  of  the  verse,  which  as  it 
runs  is  moulded  after  Ex.  xx.  7,  show  that  it  has  not  to  be 
read  ^ii^-  (Quinta :  TrapeirUpaudv  ere).  The  form  K^t^J,  with 
Aleph  otians,  is  also  remarkable;  it  ought  at  least  to  have  been 
written  lNtJ'3  (cf.  i^lQI^,  Ezek.  xlvii.  8)  instead  of  the  customary 
^XK^3 ;  yet  the  same  mode  of  writing  is  found  in  the  Nipluil  in 
Jer.  x.  5,  f*i^'3^,  it  assumes  a  ground-form  nb'J  (xxxii.  1)  =  Nt;'3, 
and  is  to  be  judged  of  according  to  N13S  in  Isa.  xxviii.  12  [Ges. 
§  23,  3,  rem.  3].  Also  one  feels  the  absence  of  the  object  to 
N1tj6  N^i^J.  It  is  meant  to  be  supplied  according  to  the  decalogue, 
Ex.  XX.  7,  which  certainly  makes  the  alteration  1^"'  (Bottcher, 
Olsh.)  or  T).2r  (Hitzig  on  Isa.  xxvi.  13),  instead  of  "iny,  natural. 
Bat  the  text  as  we  now  have  it  is  also  intelligible:  the  ob- 
ject to  NltJ'3  is  derived  from  Tno"",  and  the  following  I'l.V  is 
an  explanation  of  the  subject  intended  in  Nib'J  that  is  intro- 
duced subsequently.  Ps.  Ixxxix.  52  proves  the  possibility  of  this 
structure  of  a  clause.  It  is  correctly  rendered  by  Aquila  avTi- 
^i]\oL  cov,  and  Symmachus  olivavriot  aov.    "^V,  an  enemy,  prop. 

one  who  is  zealous,  a  zealot  (from  "iiy,  or  rather  "I'V,  =j\s.  vied. 
Je,  ^r)\ovv,  whence  "I'V,  SjjJi  =  ^^?\?),  is  a  word  that  is  guaran- 
teed by  1   Sam.  xxviii.  Ifi,  Dan.  iv.  10,  and  as  being  nn  Ara- 
VOi--  lil  23 


354  PSALM  CXXXIX.  23,  24. 

maism  is  appropriate  to  this  Psalm.  The  form  D^ipn  for 
Dpipnp  has  cast  away  the  preformative  Mem  (cf.  D"!'??^  and 
D^riQK'O,  nni5)p  in  Deut.  xxiii.  11  for  nnpsp) ;  the  suffix  is  to  be 
understood  according  to  xvii.  7.  Pasek  stands  between  nin^ 
and  ^^J^^  in  order  that  the  two  words  may  not  be  read  together 
(cf.  Job  xxvii.  13,  and  above  x.  3).  t^pipni?  as  in  the  recent 
Ps.  cxix.  158.  Tlie  emphasis  in  ver.  226  lies  on  ''^ ;  the  poet 
regards  the  adversaries  of  God  as  enemies  of  his  own.  JT'p^ri 
takes  the  place  of  the  adjective :  extremo  (odio)  odi  eos.  Such 
is  the  relation  of  the  poet  to  the  enemies  of  God,  but  without 
indulging  any  self-glorying. 

Vers.  23,  24.  He  sees  in  them  the  danger  which  threatens 
himself,  and  prays  God  not  to  give  him  over  to  the  judgment  of 
self-delusion,  but  to  lay  bare  the  true  state  of  his  soul.  The  fact 
"  Thou  hast  searched  me,"  which  the  beginning  of  the  Psalm 
confesses,  is  here  turned  into  a  petitioning  "  search  me."  In- 
stead of  D'^Vl  in  ver.  17,  the  poet  here  says  D^Siy"!t.",  which  sig- 
nifies branches  (Ezek.  xxxi.  5)  and  branchings  of  the  act  of 
thinking  (thoughts  and  cares,  xciv.  19).  The  liesh  is  epen- 
thetic, for  the  first  form  is  D'syK>,  Job  iv.  13,  xx.  2.  The  poet 
thus  sets  the  very  ground  and  life  of  his  heart,  with  all  its  out- 
ward manifestations,  in  the  light  of  the  divine  omniscience. 
And  in  ver.  24  he  prays  that  God  would  see  whether  any 
^■^i'"=l")!7.  cleaves  to  him  ^3  as  in  1  Sam,  xxv.  24),  by  which  is 
not  meant  "a  way  of  idols"  (Rosenmiiller,  Gesenius,  and 
Maurer),  after  Isa.  xlviii.  5,  since  an  inclination  towards,  or 
even  apostasy  to,  heathenism  cannot  be  an  unknown  sin ;  nor 
to  a  man  like  the  writer  of  this  Psalm  is  heathenism  any 
power  of  temptation.  VV?  T''^  (Griitz)  might  more  readily  be 
admissible,  but  2>'V  T^  is  a  more  comprehensive  notion,  and 
one  more  in  accordance  with  this  closing  petition.  The  poet 
gives  this  name  to  the  way  that  leads  to  the  pain,  torture,  viz. 
of  the  inward  and  outward  punishments  of  sin ;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  way  along  which  he  wishes  to  be  guided  he 
i  calls  Cibiy  T]"inj  the  way  of  endless  continuance  (LXX.,  Vul- 
gate, Luther),  not  the  way  of  the  former  times,  after  Jer.  vi. 
16  (Maurer,  Olshausen),  which  thus  by  itself  is  ambiguous  (as 
becomes  evident  from  Job  xxii.  15,  Jer.  xviii.  15),  and  also 
does  not  furnish  any  direct  antithesis.  The  "  everlasting 
way"  is  the  way  of  God  (xxvii.  11),  the  way  of  the  righteous, 
which  stands  fast  for  ever  and  shall  not  "perish"  (i.  6). 


rsALM  c\i..  35 J 

PSAL^[    CXL. 

PRAYER  FOR  PROTECTION  AGAINST  WICKED,   CRAFTY  MEN. 

2  DELIVER  mc,  Jahve,  from  wicked  men, 

From  tlie  violent  man  preserve  me, 
V)  Who  plot  wickedness  in  the  heart, 

Daily  do  they  stir  up  wars. 

4  They  sharpen  their  tongue  like  a  serpent, 
Adder's  poison  is  under  their  lips.     {Sela.) 

5  Keep  me,  Jahve,  from  the  hands  of  the  wicked, 
From  the  violent  man  preserve  me. 

Who  purj)ose  to  thrust  aside  my  footsteps 
(')  The  proud  hide  snares  for  me  and  cords, 
They  spread  nets  close  by  the  path, 
They  set  traps  for  me.     (Sela.) 

7  I  say  to  Jahve  :  My  God  art  Thou, 

Oh  give  ear,  Jahve,  to  the  cry  of  my  supplicatiou. 

6  Jahve  the  Lord  is  the  stronghold  of  my  salvation, 
Thou  coverest  my  head  in  the  day  of  equipment. 

it  Grant  not,  Jahve,  the  desires  of  the  wicked  ; 

Let  not  his  device  prosper,  that  they  may  not  be  lifted  u]>. 
(Sela.) 

10  The  head  of  those  who  compass  me  about — let  the  trouble 

of  their  lips  cover  tht-m  I 

11  Let  burning  coals  be  cast  down  ujion  them,  let  them  be 

cast  into  the  fire, 
Into  abysses  out  of  which  they  may  never  rise  up ! 

12  Let  not  the  man  of  the  tongue  be  established  on  the  earth. 
The  man  of  violence — let  wickedness  hunt  him  in  violent 

haste ! 

].\  I  know  that  Jahve  will   carry   through   the   cause  of  the 
afflicted. 

The  right  of  the  poor. 
14  Yea,  the  righteous  shall  give  thanks  unto  Thy  Name, 

The  upright  shall  dwell  beside  Thy  countenance. 


350  PSALM  CXL.  2-4. 

Tlie  close  of  the  preceding  Psalm  is  the  key  to  David's 
position  and  mood  in  the  presence  of  his  enemies  which  find 
expression  in  this  Psalm.  He  complains  here  of  serpent-like, 
crafty,  slanderous  adversaries,  who  are  preparing  themselves 
for  war  against  him,  and  with  whom  he  will  at  length  have  to 
fight  in  open  battle.  The  Psalm,  in  its  form  more  bold  than 
beautiful,  justifies  its  Dlh  in  so  far  as  it  is  Davidic  in  thoughts 
and  figures,  and  may  be  explained  from  the  circumstances  of 
the  rebellion  of  Absalom,  to  which  as  an  outbreak  of  Ephraim- 
itish  jealousy  the  rebellion  of  Sheba  ben  Bichri  the  Benjamite 
attached  itself.  Ps.  Iviii.  and  Ixiv.  are  very  similar.  The  close 
of  all  three  Psalms  sounds  much  alike,  they  agree  in  the  use  of 
rare  forms  of  expression,  and  their  language  becomes  fearfully 
obscure  in  style  and  sound  where  they  are  directed  against  the 
enemies. 

Vers.  2-4.  The  assimilation  of  the  Nun  of  the  verb  "i^J  is 
given  up,  as  in  Ixi.  8,  Ixxviii.  7,  and  frequently,  in  order  to 
make  the  form  more  full-toned.  The  relative  clause  shows 
tliat  CDon  liJ'^X  (vid.  vol.  i.  277)  is  not  intended  to  be  understood 
exclusively  of  one  person.  2?3  strengthens  the  notion  of  that 
which  is  deeply  concealed  and  premeditated.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  1"i1J^  signifies  to  form  into  troops  or  to  stir  up.  But 
from  the  fact  that  "1^5  in  Ivi.  7,  lix.  4,  Isa.  liv.  15,  signifies  not 
congregare  but  se  congregare,  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  "ii3  in  the 
passage  before  us,  like  "TJ?.  (or  '"I"i2nn  in  Deut.  ii.  9,  24),  in  Syriac 
and  Targumic  i']^,  signifies  concitare,  to  excite  (cf.  lib'  together 
with  nx',  Hos.  xii.  4  sq.).  In  ver.  4  the  Psalm  coincides  with 
Ixiv.  4,  Iviii.  5.  They  sharpen  their  tongue,  so  that  it  inflicts  a 
fatal  sting  like  the  tongue  of  a  serpent,  and  under  their  lips, 
shooting  out  from  thence,  is  the  poison  of  the  adder  (cf.  Cant, 
iv.  11).     2WDV  is  a  aTraf  Xejofi.  not  from  HK'S   (Jesurun,  p. 

207),  but  from  K'ay,  ^Ju.i£■  and  fJlSs.,  root  llX^  (vid.  Fleischer 
on  Isa.  lix.  5,  K'''?3V),  both  of  which  have  the  significations  of 
bending,  turning,  and  coiling  after  the  manner  of  a  serpent ; 
the  Beth  is  an  organic  addition  modifying  the  meaning  of  the 
root.* 


*  According  to  the  original  Lexicons  ^j^Ss-  signifies  to  bend  one's  self, 
ti>  wriggle,  to  creep  sideways  like  the  roots  of  the  vine,  in  the  Y.  form  to 


PSALM  CXL.  5-9.  357 

Vers.  5,  6.  The  course  of  this  second  strophe  is  exiutlv 
parallel  with  the  first.  The  perfects  describe  their  conduct 
hitherto,  as  a  comparison  of  ver.  36  with  3a  shows.  Ci^irVS  is 
poetically  equivalent  to  Q^c^l,  and  signifies  both  the  foot  that 
steps  (Ivii.  7,  Iviii.  11)  and  the  step  that  is  made  by  the  foot 
(Ixxxv.  14,  cxix.  133),  and  here  the  two  senses  are  undistin- 
guishable.  They  are  called  D\*<3  on  account  of  the  inordinate 
ambition  that  infatuates  them.  The  metaphors  taken  from  the 
life  of  the  hunter  (cxii.  9,  cxlii.  4)  are  here  brought  together 
as  it  were  into  a  body  of  synonyms.  The  meaning  of  -'JV'P'ip 
becomes  explicable  from  cxlii.  4 ;  *iv,  at  hand,  is  equivalent  to 
"  immediately  beside"  (1  Chron.  xviii.  17,  Neh.  xi.  24).  Close 
by  the  path  along  which  he  has  to  pass,  lie  gins  ready  to  spring 
together  and  ensnare  him  when  he  appears. 

Vers.  7-9.  Such  is  the  conduct  of  his  enemies;  he,  how- 
ever, prays  to  his  God  and  gets  his  weapons  from  beside  Ilim. 
The  day  of  equipment  is  the  day  of  the  crisis  when  the  battle 
is  fought  in  full  array.  The  perfect  nrii3D  states  what  will 
then  take  place  on  the  part  of  God:  He  protects  the  head  of 
His  anointed  against  the  deadly  blow.  Both  ver.  8a  and  8b 
point  to  the  helmet  as  being  tJ'Nn  tiyo,  jx.  9 ;  cf.  the  expression 
"the  helmet  of  salvation"  in  Isa.  lix.  17.  Beside  \*l^^p,  from 
the  aTT.  Xey.  niXO,  there  is  also  the  reading  V.^^^,  which  Abul- 
walid  found  in   his   Jerusalem  codex  (in  Saragossa).      The 


laove  one's  self  like  an  adder  (according  to  the  A'rtwm.s)  and  to  walk  like  a 
drunken  man  (according  to  Neshwdn) ;  but  jA^  signifies  to  be  intdr- 
t\\'incd,  knit  or  closely  united  together,  said  of  hairs  and  of  the  branches 
of  trees,  in  the  V.  form  to  fight  hand  to  hand  and  to  get  in  among  the 
crowd.  The  root  is  apparently  expanded  into  iVii'Dy  by  an  added  Beth 
which  serves  as  a  notional  speciality,  as  in  <_-?.«y:  the  convex  bend  of  the 
steep  side  of  a  rock,  or  in  the  case  of  the  knee  of  the  hind-legs  of  animals, 

and  in  U-jJ  .^  (in  the  dialect  of  the  country  along  the  coast  of  Palestine, 
where  the  tree  is  plentiful,  in  Neshwan  churnub),  the  horn-like  curved  jKxl 

of  the  carob-tree  (Ccratonia  Siliqua),  syncopated  (__;.^^,  cliarruh  (not 
charub),  from  ,.,^,  cogn.  .,  J  a  horn,  cf.  l:\j  ^  the  beak  of  a  bird  of 
prey,  -iJ^  the  stork  [r/rf.  on  civ.  17],  ^^>j3-  the  rhinoceros  [ijj.  on 
x.xii.  C],  ^j:.^  ^  tlie  unicorn  Ivicl.  it?V/.].— AVi:tzstein. 


358  PSALM  CXL.  10-12. 

regular  form  would  be  ^.^5^,  and  the  doubly  irregular  mcHawajji 
follows  the  example  of  ''?^nPj  ''l^DI?,  and  the  like,  in  a  manner 
that  is  without  example  elsewhere.  i?3DT  for  inSTO  is  also  a 
hai)axlegomenon  ;  according  to  Gesenius  the  principal  form  is 
D»T,  but  surely  more  correctly  DJOT  (like  3"ip),  which  in  Aramaic 
signifies  a  bridle,  and  here  a  plan,  device.  The  Hiph.  P''?^ 
(root  pD,  whence  p^^,  ^j)  signifies  educere  in  the  sense  of 
reportare,  Prov.  iii.  13,  viii.  35,  xii.  2,  xviii.  22,  and  of  poi'- 
rigere,  cxliv.  13,  Isa.  Iviii.  10.  A  reaching  forth  of  the  plan 
is  equivalent  to  the  reaching  forth  of  that  which  is  projected. 
The  choice  of  the  words  used  in  this  Psalm  coincides  here,  as 
already  in  ^^V^,  with  Proverbs  and  Isaiah.  The  future  ^011^ 
expresses  the  consequence  (cf.  Ixi.  8)  against  which  the  poet 
wishes  to  guard. 

Vers.  10-12.  The  strophic  symmetry  is  now  at  an  end. 
The  longer  the  poet  lingers  over  the  contemplation  of  the 
rebels  the  more  lofty  and  dignified  does  his  language  become, 
the  more  particular  the  choice  of  the  expressions,  and  the  more 
difficult  and  unmanageable  the  construction.  Tlie  Hiph.  3pn 
signifies,  causatively,  to  cause  to  go  round  about  (Ex.  xiii.  18), 
and  to  raise  round  about  (2  Chron.  xiv.  6) ;  here,  after  Josh, 
vi.  11,  wherewith  an  accusative*  following  it  signifies  to  go 
round  about :  to  make  the  circuit  of  anything,  as  enemies  who 
surround  a  city  on  all  sides  and  seek  the  most  favourable  point 
for  assault ;  ''3Dp  from  the  participle  3Dn.  Even  when  derived 
from  the  substantive  3Dt?  (Hupfeld),  "my  surroundings"  is 
equivalent  to  ''rii3"'3p  ""^^.i^  in  xxvii.  6.  Hitzig,  on  the  other  hand, 
renders  it :  the  head  of  my  slanderers,  from  320,  to  go  round 
about,  Arabic  to  tell  tales  of  any  one,  defame;  but  the  Arabic 

( ^-j  fid.  u,  to  abuse,  the  IV.  form  (Iliphil)  of  which  more- 
over is  not  used  either  in  the  ancient  or  in  the  modern  language, 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  Hebrew  23D,  but  signifies  originally 
to  cut  off  round  about,  then  to  clip  (injure)  any  one's  honour 
and  good  name.*     The  fact  that  the  enemies  who  surround 


*  The  lexicograpber  iW.vAjftai  says,  i.  279^).-  ^\   J-^J.   ♦^'uJi    c>^*J' 

*JkA!^    ,L?   *j  «_Liill    ^.^-vwJl   (J-s^)   '''' sebb  is  to  abuse;  still,  the  more 
original  signification  of  cutting  off  is  said  to  lie  at  the  foundation  of  ihia 


PSALM  CXL.  10-12.  359 

the  psalrnibt  on  every  side  are  just  such  calumniaturs,  is  iuti- 
mated  here  in  the  word  io'ria'^'.  He  wishes  that  the  trouble 
wliich  the  enemies'  slanderous  lips  occasion  him  may  fall  back 
upon  their  own  head.  K'X")  is  head  in  the  first  and  literal  sense 
according  to  vii.  17  ;  and  '^'O'^.T.  (with  the  Jod  of  the  ground- 
form  ^D3,  as  in  Dent,  xxxii.  26,  1  Kings  xx.  35 ;  ChethU> 
V.^^'QT*  after  the  attractional  schema,  2  Sam.  ii.  4,  Isa.  ii.  11, 
and  frequently;  cf.  on  the  masculine  form,  Prov.  v.  2,  x.  21) 
refers  back  to  CNi,  which  is  meant  of  the  heads  of  all  persons 
individually.  In  ver.  11  ^^5^0^  (with  an  indefinite  subject  of  the 
higher  punitive  powers,  Ges.  §  137,  note),  in  the  signification  to 
cause  to  descend,  has  a  support  in  Iv.  4,  whereas  the  Niph. 
t2i03,  fut.  t2b^,  which  is  preferred  by  the  Keri,  in  the  significa- 
tion to  be  made  to  descend,  is  contrary  to  the  usage  of  the 
language.     The  air.  Xey.  nSibriD  has  been  combined  by  Parchon 

and  others  witli  the  Arabic  j,^,  which,  together  with  other 

significations  (to  strike,  stamp,  cast  down,  and  the  like),  also 
has  the  signification  to  flow  (whence  e.g.  in  the  Koran,  mii 
vmnhami?',  flowing  water).  "Fire"  and  "water"  are  emblems 
of  perils  that  cannot  be  escaped,  Ixvi.  12,  and  the  mention  of 
fire  is  therefore  appropriately  succeeded  by  places  of  flowing 
water,  pits  of  water.  The  signification  "pits"  is  attested  by 
theTargum,  Symmachus,  Jerome,  and  the  quotation  in  Kimchi: 
"  first  of  all  they  buried  them  in  nmono ;  when  the  flesh  was 
consumed  they  collected  the  bones  and  buried  them  in  coffins." 
On  loip'"^3  cf.  Isa.  xxvi.  14.  Like  vers.  10,  11,  ver.  12  is  also 
not  to  be  taken  as  a  general  maxim,  but  as  expressing  a  wish  in 
accordance  with  the  excited  tone  of  this  strophe,  f^^^  K'^X  is 
not  a  great  talker,  i.e.  boaster,  but  an  idle  talker,  i.e.  slanderer 
(LXX.  avr)p  <y\Q)a<7(t}8r]s,  cf.  Sir.  viii.  4).  According  to  the 
accents,  i'"i  Don  C"X  is  the  parallel ;  but  what  would  be  the  object 
of  this  designation  of  violence  as  worse  or  more  malignant? 
With  Sommer,  Olshausen,  and  others,  we  take  V")  as  the  subject 


Bignificatiou."  That  «_ki  is  synonymous  with  it,  c.<7.  UjJ  <  \-'i'  {j^t 
■why  dost  thou  cut  into  us?  i.e.  why  dost  thou  iusult  our  honour? — 
■\Vetzsti:in'. 

*  Which  is  favoured  by  Ex.  xt.  5,  fchasjumu  with  mii  iustcail  of  mo, 
which  is  otherwise  witliout  example. 


oGO  rSALM  CXL.  13,  14,  CXI 

to  ^31^^^:  let  evil,  i.e.  the  punishment  which  arises  out  of  evil, 
hunt  him  ;  cf.  Prov.  xiii.  21,  t^^l  H'^yi}  Q^'^t?'!',  and  the  opposite  in 
xxiii.  6.  It  would  have  to  be  accented,  according  to  this  our 
construction  of  the  words,  namof)  "jnii*^  V]  DDH  B'^K.  The  air. 
\ey.  ribnipp  we  do  not  render,  with  Hengstenberg,  Olshausen, 
and  others :  push  upon  push,  with  repeated  pushes,  which,  to 
say  nothing  more,  is  not  suited  to  the  figure  of  hunting,  but, 
since  ^HT  always  has  the  signification  of  precipitate  hastening : 
by  hastenings,  that  is  to  say,  forced  marches. 

Vers.  13,  14.  With  ver.  13  the  mood  and  language  now 
again  become  cheerful,  the  rage  has  spent  itself ;  therefore  the 
style  and  tone  are  now  changed,  and  the  Psalm  trips  along  merrily 
as  it  were  to  the  close.  With  reference  to  nVT  for  "Tlj?!^  (as  in 
Job  xlii.  2),  vid.  xvi.  2.  That  which  David  in  ix.  5  confidently 
expects  on  his  own  behalf  is  here  generalized  into  the  certain 
prospect  of  the  triumph  of  the  good  cause  in  the  person  of  all 
its  representatives  at  that  time  oppressed,  "i]^,  like  "•^Vl),  is  an 
expression  of  certainty.  After  seeming  abandonment  God 
again  makes  Himself  known  to  His  own,  and  those  whom  they 
wanted  to  sweep  away  out  of  the  land  of  the  living  have  an 
ever  sure  dwelling-place  with  His  joyful  countenance  (xvi.  11). 


PSALM    CXLI. 

EVENING  PSALM  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  ABSALOM. 

1  .TAHVE,  I  call  upon  Thee,  Oh  haste  Thee  unto  me ; 
Oh  hearken  to  my  voice,  when  I  call  upon  Thee ! 

2  Let  my  prayer  be  accounted  as  incense  before  Thee, 
The  lifting  up  of  my  hands  as  the  evening  meat-offering,, 

3  Oh  set  a  watch,  Jahve,  upon  my  mouth, 
A  protection  upon  the  door  of  my  lips. 

4  Incline  not  my  heart  to  an  evil  matter. 
To  practise  knavish  things  in  iniquity 
With  the  lords  who  rule  wickedly, 
And  let  me  not  taste  their  dainties. 

5  Let  a  righteous  man  smite  me  lovingly  and  rebuke  me, 


rSALM  CXM.  3G1 

Such  oil  upon  the  head  let  not  my  head  refuse, 

For  still  do  I  meet  their  wickedness  only  with  prayer. 

6  Hurled  down  upon  the  sides  of  the  rock  are  their  ju'lges, 
And  they  hear  my  words  as  welcome. 

7  As  when  one  furroweth  and  breaketh  u])  the  earth, 
Are  our  bones  sowed  at  the  gate  of  Hades. 

8  For  unto  Thee,  Jahve  Lord  I   do  mine  eyes  look, 
In  Thee  do  I  hide,  pour  not  my  soul  out ! 

9  Keep  me  from  the  hands  of  the  snare  of  those  who  lay 

snares  for  me. 
And  from  the  traps  of  those  who  rule  wickedly. 
10  Let  the  wicked  fall  into  their  own  net. 
Whilst  /altogether  escape. 

The  four  Psalms,  cxl.,  cxli.,  cxlii.,  and  cxliii.,  are  interwoven 
with  one  another  in  many  ways  {Symbolce,  pp.  67  sq.).  The 
following  passages  are  very  similar,  viz.  cxl.  7,  cxli.  1,  cxlii.  2, 
and  cxliii.  1.  Just  as  the  poet  complains  in  cxlii.  4,  "  when 
my  spirit  veils  itself  within  me,"  so  too  in  cxliii.  4 ;  as  he  prays 
in  cxlii.  8,  "  Oh  bring  my  soul  out  of  prison,"  so  in  cxliii.  11, 
"  bring  my  soul  out  of  distress,"  where  m^f  takes  the  place  of 
the  metaphorical  "iJDD.  Besides  these,  compare  cxl.  5,  6  with 
cxli.  9;  cxlii.  7  with  cxliii,  9;  cxl.  3  with  cxli.  5,  mjn ;  cxl.  14 
with  cxlii.  8  ;  cxlii.  4  with  cxliii.  8. 

The  right  understanding  of  the  Psalm  depends  upon  the 
right  understanding  of  the  situation.  Since  it  is  inscribed 
inb,  it  is  presumably  a  situation  corresponding  to  the  history 
of  David,  out  of  the  midst  of  which  the  Psalm  is  composetl, 
either  by  David  himself  or  by  some  one  else  who  desired  to 
give  expression  in  Davidic  strains  to  David's  mood  when  in 
this  situation.  For  the  gleaning  of  Davidic  Psalms  which  we 
find  in  the  last  two  Books  of  the  Psalter  is  for  the  most  part 
derived  from  historical  works  in  wdiich  these  Psalms,  in  some 
instances  only  free  reproductions  of  the  feelings  of  David  with 
respect  to  old  Davidic  models,  adorned  the  historic  narrative. 
The  Psalm  before  us  adorned  the  history  of  the  time  of  the 
])ersecution  by  Absalom.  At  that  time  David  was  driven  out 
of  Jerusalem,  and  consequently  cut  off  from  the  sacrificial 
worship  of  God   upon   Zion  ;   and   our   Psalm  is  an  evening 


362  PSALM  CXLI.  1,  2. 

liymn  of  one  of  those  troublous  days.  The  ancient  church, 
even  prior  to  the  time  of  Gregory  (^Constitutiones  ApostoUca', 
ii.  59),  had  chosen  it  for  its  evening  hymn,  just  as  it  had 
chosen  Ps.  Ixiii.  for  its  morning  hymn.  Just  as  Ps.  Ixiii.  was 
called  6  6p6piv6<i  {ibid.  viii.  37),  so  this  Psalm,  as  being  the 
Vesper  Psalm,  was  called  6  eTrtXv^vco'i  {ibid.  viii.  35). 

Vers.  1,  2.  The  very  beginning  of  Ps.  cxli.  is  more  after  the 
manner  of  David  than  really  Davidic  ;  for  instead  of  haste  thee  to 
me,  David  always  says,  haste  thee  for  my  help,  xxii.  20,  xxxviii. 
23,  xl.  14.  The  "^  that  is  added  to  ^Nnp^n  (as  in  iv.  2)  is  to  be 
explained,  as  in  Ivii.  3  :  when  I  call  to  Thee,  i.e.  when  I  call 
Thee,  who  art  now  far  from  me,  to  me.  The  general  cry  for 
help  is  followed  in  ver.  2  by  a  petition  for  the  answering  of  his 
prayer.  Luther  has  given  an  excellent  rendering  :  Let  my 
prayer  avail  to  Thee  as  an  offering  of  incense  ;  the  lifting  up 
of  my  hands,  as  an  evening  sacrifice  (Mein  Gebet  musse  fur 
dir  tUgen  wie  ein  Reuchopffer,  Meine  Hende  auffheben,  xoie  ein 
Abendopffer).  P3)l  is  the  fut.  Niph.  of  j^3,  and  signifies  pro- 
perly to  be  set  up,  and  to  be  established,  or  reflexive  :  to  place 
and  arrange  or  prepare  one's  self,  Amos  iv.  12  ;  then  to  con- 
tinue, e.g.  ci.  7  ;  therefore,  either  let  it  place  itself,  let  it  appear, 
sistat  se,  or  better :  let  it  stand,  continue,  i.e.  let  my  prayer  find 
acceptance,  recognition  with  Thee  n^ibp,  and  the  lifting  up  of 
my  hands  a^y'nmp.  Expositors  say  that  this  in  both  instances 
is  the  comparatio  decurtata,  as  in  xi.  1  and  elsewhere :  as  an 
incense-offering,  as  an  evening  mincha.  But  the  poet  purposely 
omits  the  3  of  the  comparison.  He  wishes  that  God  may  be 
pleased  to  regard  his  prayer  as  sweet-smelling  smoke  or  as 
incense,  just  as  this  was  added  to  the  azcara  of  the  meal- 
offering,  and  gave  it,  in  its  ascending  perfume,  the  direction 
upward  to  God,*  and  that  He  may  be  pleased  to  regard  the 


*  It  is  not  the  priestly  1>on  mbp,  '-e.  the  daily  morning  and  evening 
incense-offering  upon  the  golden  altar  of  the  holy  place,  Ex.  xxx.  8,  that 
is  meant  (since  it  is  a  non-priest  who  is  speaking,  according  to  Hitzig,  of 
course  John  Hyrcanus),  but  rather,  as  also  in  Isa.  i.  13,  the  incense  of  the 
azcara  of  the  meal-offermg  which  the  priest  burnt  (T'Opn)  upon  the  altar ; 
the  incense  (Isa.  Ixvi.  3)  was  entirely  consumed,  and  not  merely  a  handful 
taken  from  it. 


PSALM  CXLI.  .},  4.  363 

lifting  up  of  his  hands  (J^^^'fO,  the  construct  with  the  redupli- 
cation given  up,  from  nsti'Q,  or  even,  after  the  form  ri:nrp^  from 
nsb'O,  here  not  oblatio,  but  according  to  the  phrase  o;??  Nt"3 
[a^T],  elevatio,  Judg.  xx.  38,  40,  cf.  Ps.  xxviii.  2,  and  fre- 
quently) as  an  evening  mincha,  just  as  it  was  added  to  the 
evening  ta7nid  according  to  Ex.  xxix.  38-42,  and  concluded 
the  work  of  the  service  of  the  day.* 

Vers.  3,  4.  The  prayer  now  begins  to  be  particularized, 
and  that  in  the  first  instance  as  a  petition  for  the  grace  of 
silence,  calling  to  mind  old  Davidic  passages  like  xxxix.  2, 
xxxiv.  14.  The  situation  of  David,  the  betrayed  one,  requires 
caution  in  speaking  ;  and  the  consciousness  of  having  sinned, 
not  indeed  against  the  rebels,  but  against  God,  who  would  not 
visit  him  thus  without  his  deserving  it,  stood  in  the  way  of  anv 
outspoken  self-vindication.  In  pone  custodiam  ori  meo  "^"3^^' 
is  air.  Xey.,  after  the  infinitive  form  •"'i^?"^,  "^^Ty,  n^VV.  In  ver.  db 
?'^,  is  uTT.  Xey.  for  hSt  ;  cf.  "  doors  of  the  mouth"  in  Mic.  vii.  5, 
and  TTvXat  cn6[xaTo<;  in  Euripides,  nijf:  might  be  imper.  Kal : 
keep  I  pray,  with  Dag.  dirimens  as  in  Prov.  iv.  13.  But  IV-" 
pV  is  not  in  use  ;  and  also  as  the  parallel  word  to  "^7^^',  whicli 
likewise  has  the  appearance  of  being  imperative,  nnjfj  is  expli- 
cable as  regards  its  pointing  by  a  comparison  of  nnjp^  in  Gen. 
xlix.  10,  n-i3n  in  Deut.  xxxiii.  3,  and  naip  in  Ixxiii.  28.  The 
prayer  for  the  grace  of  silence  is  followed  in  ver.  4  by  a  prayer 
for  the  breaking  off  of  all  fellowship  with  the  existing  rulers. 
By  a  flight  of  irony  they  are  called  Q"'^''^,  lords,  in  the  sense  of 
^^^  ''?.?,  iv.  3  (cf.  the  Spanish  hidalgos  =  hijos  d'algo,  sons  of 
somebody).  The  evil  thing  (VT  '  i^n,  with  Pasek  between  tlie 
two  n,  as  in  Num.  vii.  13,  Deut.  vii.  1  between  the  two  d,  and 
in  1  Chron.  xxii.  3  between  the  two  ^),  to  which  Jahve  may  be 
pleased  never  to  incline  his  heart  (p^,  fut.  apoc.  Hiph.  as  in  xxvii. 
9),  is  forthwith  more  particularly  designated  :  perpetrare  facl- 


*  The  reason  of  it  is  this,  that  the  evening  mincha  is  oftener  mentioncfl 
than  the  morning  mincha  (see,  however,  2  Kings  iii.  20).  The  whole 
burnt-offering  of  the  morning  and  the  meat-offering  of  the  evening 
(2  Kings  xvi.  15,  1  Kings  xviii.  29,  36)  are  the  beginning  and  close  of  the 
daily  principal  service  ;  whence,  according  to  the  example  of  the  iu<ua 
loquendi  in  Dan.  ix.  21,  Ezra  ix.  1  sq.,  later  on  mincha  directly  aignifica 
the  afternoon  or  evening. 


364  PSALM  CXLI.  5-7. 

nora  maligne  cum  dominis,  etc.  ^'^^^V  of  great  achievements  in 
the  sense  of  infamous  deeds,  also  occurs  in  xiv,  1,  xcix.  8.  Here, 
however,  we  have  the  Hitlipo.  ^PV^n?  which,  with  the  accusa- 
tive of  the  object  nib^y,  signifies :  wilfully  to  make  such  actions 

the  object  of  one's  acting  (cf.     Jjlj   JLO'j  to  meddle  with  any 

matter,  to  amuse,  entertain  one's  self  with  a  thing).  The  ex- 
pression is  made  to  express  disgust  as  strongly  as  possible  ;  this 
poet  is  fond  of  glaring  colouring  in  his  language.  In  the 
dependent  passage  neve  eorum  vescar  ciipediis,  DHp  is  used  poeti- 
cally for  ^^i^,  and  3  is  the  partitive  Beth^  as  in  Job  xxi.  25. 
D''Sy30  is  another  hapaxlegomenon,  but  as  being  a  designation 
of  dainties  (from  ^V},  to  be  mild,  tender,  pleasant),  it  may  not 
have  been  an  unusual  word.  It  is  a  well-known  thing  that 
usurpers  revel  in  the  cuisine  and  cellars  of  those  whom  they 
have  driven  away. 

Vers.  5-7.  Thus  far  the  Psalm  is  comparatively  easy  of 
exposition  ;  but  now  it  becomes  difficult,  yet  not  hopelessly  so. 
David,  thoroughly  conscious  of  his  sins  against  God  and  of  his 
imperfection  as  a  monarch,  says,  in  opposition  to  the  abuse 
which  he  is  now  suffering,  that  he  would  gladly  accept  any 
friendly  reproof  :  "  let  a  righteous  man  smite  in  kindness  and 
reprove  me — head-oil  (i.e.  oil  upon  the  head,  to  which  such 
reproof  is  likened)  shall  my  head  not  refuse."  So  we  render 
it,  following  the  accents,  and  not  as  Hupfeld,  Kurtz,  and 
Hitzig  do  :  "  if  a  righteous  man  smites  me,  it  is  love  ;  if  he 
reproves  me,  an  anointing  of  the  head  is  it  unto  me  ;"  in  con- 
nection with  which  the  designation  of  the  subject  with  N\"i 
would  be  twice  wanting,  which  is  more  than  is  admissible. 
P'^^y  stands  here  as  an  abstract  substantive  :  the  righteous  man, 
whoever  he  may  be,  in  antithesis,  namely,  to  the  rebels  and  to 
tl|'3  people  who  have  joined  them.  Amyraldus,  Maurer,  and 
Hengstenberg  understand  it  of  God  ;  but  it  only  occurs  of 
God  as  an  attribute,  and  never  as  a  direct  appellation.  "lon, 
as  in  Jer..  xxxi.  3,  is  equivalent  to  *'D'^3,  cian  henignitate  = 
benigne.  What  is  meant  is,  as  in  Job  vi.  14,  what  Paul  (Gal. 
vi.  1)  styles  irvevfia  irpavTrjTO'i.  And  D?n,  iundere,  is  used  of 
the  strokes  of  earnest  but  well-meant  reproof,  which  is  called 
"  the  blows  of  a  friend"  in  Prov.  xxvii.  6.  Such  reproof  shall 
be  to  him  as  head-oil  (xxiii.  5,  cxxxiii.  2),  which  his  head  does 


PSALM  CXLI.  5-7.  365 

not  despise.  V),  written  defectively  for  N'r,  like  '''^l  in  Iv.  lo, 
*ax,  1  Kings  xxi.  29  and  frequently ;  N':n  (root  a:,  'Ij,  with 
the  nasal  n,  which  also  expresses  the  negation  in  the  Indo-Ger- 
nianic  languages)  here  signifies  to  deny,  as  in  xxxiii.  10  to 
bring  to  nought,  to  destroy.  On  the  other  hand,  the  LXX. 
renders  firj  XiTravaTco  Trjv  Kej>a\i]v  ixov,  which  is  also  folluwed 

by  the  Syriac  and  Jerome,  perhnps  after  the  Arabic    ^^',  to 

become  or  to  be  fat,  which  is,  however,  altogether  foreign  to  the 
Aramaic,  and  is,  moreover,  only  used  of  fatness  of  the  body, 
and  in  fact  of  camels.  The  meaning  of  the  figure  is  this  :  well- 
meant  reproof  shall  be  acceptable  and  spiritually  useful  to  him. 
The  confirmation  '131  niy""'3  follows,  which  is  enigmatical  both 
in  meaning  and  expression.  This  liy  is  the  cipher  of  a  whole 
clause,  and  the  following  1  is  related  to  this  liy  as  the  Waw 
that  introduces  the  apodosis,  not  to  '3,  as  in  2  Chron.  xxiv.  20, 
since  no  progression  and  connection  is  discernible  if  O  is  taken 
as  a  subordinating  qnia.  We  interpret  thus  :  for  it  is  still  so 
(the  matter  still  stands  thus),  that  my  prayer  is  against  their 
xoickednesses;  i.e.  that  I  use  no  weapon  but  that  of  prayer  against 
these,  therefore  let  me  always  be  in  that  spiritual  state  of  mind 
which  is  alive  to  well-meant  reproof.  Mendelssohn's  rendering 
is  similar :  I  still  pray,  whilst  they  practise  infamy.  On  1  my 
of.  Zech.  viii.  20  i^'X  liy  {vid.  Kohler),  and  Prov.  xxiv.  27 
\  ins.  He  who  has  prayed  God  in  ver.  3  to  set  a  watch  upon 
his  mouth  is  dumb  in  the  presence  of  those  who  now  have 
dominion,  and  seeks  to  keep  himself  clear  of  their  sinful  doings, 
whereas  he  willingly  allows  himself  to  be  chastened  by  the 
righteous  ;  and  the  more  silent  he  is  towards  the  world  (see 
Amos  v.  13),  the  more  constant  is  he  in  his  intercourse  with 
God.  But  there  will  come  a  time  when  those  who  now  behave 
as  lords  shall  fall  a  prey  to  the  revenge  of  the  people  who  have 
been  misled  by  them  ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  tiie  confession 
of  the  salvation,  and  of  the  order  of  the  salvation,  of  God, 
that  has  hitherto  been  put  to  silence,  will  again  be  able  to  make 
itself  freely  heard,  and  find  a  ready  hearing. 

As  ver.  6  says,  the  new  rulers  fall  a  prey  to  thi=»  indignation 
of  the  people  and  are  thrown  down  the  precipices,  whilst  the 
people,  having  again  come  to  their  right  mind,  obey  the  words 


3Gij  PSALM  CXLI.  5-7. 

of  David  and  find  them  pleasant  and  beneficial  (vid.  Prov.  xv. 
26,  xvi.  24).  ^D^B'i  is  to  be  explained  according  to  2  Kings 
ix.  33.  The  casting  of  persons  down  from  the  rock  was  not  an 
unusual  mode  of  execution  (2  Chron.  xxv,  12).  y?D"''T.  are  the 
sides  (cxl.  6,  Judg.  xi.  26)  of  the  rock,  after  which  the  expres- 
sion i'^ofieva  TreVpa?  of  the  LXX.,  which  has  been  misunder- 
stood by  Jerome,  is  intended  to  be  imderstood  ;*  they  are  therefore 
the  sides  of  the  rock  conceived  of  as  it  were  as  the  hands  of  the 
body  of  rock,  if  we  are  not  rather  with  Bottcher  to  compare  the 
expressions  ^T?  and  ''T."^y  construed  with  verbs  of  abandoning 
and  casting  down,  Lam.  i.  14,  Job  xvi.  11,  and  frequently.  In 
ver.  7  there  follows  a  further  statement  of  the  issue  on  the  side 
of  David  and  his  followers :  instar  jindentls  et  secantis  terrain 
(yi^3  with  Beth,  elsewhere  in  the  hostile  signification  of  irrumpere) 
dispersa  sunt  ossa  nostra  ad  ostium  ("'Sp  as  in  Prov.  viii.  3)  oi'ci ; 
Symmachus  :  wcirep  yecopyo'i  orav  p^a-arj  rrjv  <yrjv,  ovto)<;  iaKop- 
Triadrj  ra  oara  rjfMwv  ei?  arofia  ahov ;  Quinta :  to?  KaWtep^ayv 
Kul  a-KaTTTcov  iv  rfi  7^,  k.t.X.  Assuming  the  very  extreme,  it  is 
a  look  of  hope  into  the  future :  should  his  bones  and  the  bones 
of  his  followers  be  even  scattered  about  the  mouth  of  Sheol  (cf. 
the  Syrian  picture  of  Sheol :  "  the  dust  upon  its  threshold  'al- 
escufteli^^  Deutsclte  Morgenldnd.  Zeitschrift,  xx.  513),  their  soul 
below,  their  bones  above — it  would  nevertheless  be  only  as 
when  one  in  ploughing  cleaves  the  earth ;  i.e.  they  do  not  lie 
there  in  order  that  they  may  continue  lying,  but  that  they  may 
rise  up  anew,  as  the  seed  that  is  sown  sprouts  up  out  of  the  up- 
turned earth.  LXX.  Codd.  Vat.  et  Sinait.  ra  oara  rj/xcov,  beside 
which,  however,  is  found  the  reading  avroiv  (Cod.  Alex,  by  a 
second  hand,  and  the  Syriac,  Arabic,  and  ^thiopic  versions), 
as  Bottcher  also,  pro  ineptissimo  utcwique,  thinks  iy»vy  must  be 
I'ead,  understanding  this,  according  to  2  Chron.  xxv.  12  extrem., 
of  the  mangled  bodies  of  those  cast  down  from  the  rock.  We 
here  discern  the  hope  of  a  resurrection,  if  not  directly,  at  least 
(cf.  Oehler  in  Herzog's  Real-Encyhlopddlc,  concluding  volume, 
S.  422)  as  an  emblem  of  victory  in  spite  of  having  succumbed. 
That  which  authorizes  this  interpretation  lies  in  the  figure  of 


*  Berla  Pieringcr  in  his  Psalterium  Romaiia  Lyra  Rcdditum  (RatisboiiKi 
1859)  interprets  Kxrivodmuv  Iy/'F--^'*-  'fSTsa?  01  Mctrctm  ctvTuv,  ahsorjiti,  i.e. 
t'lierti  sunt  loco  ad  pe tram  perlincnte  signiferi  turpis  consilii  eorunu 


rSALM  CXLI.  8-10.  CXLII.  3G7 

the  husbauuman,  and  in  the  conditional  clause  (ver.  8),  wliicii 
leads  to  the  true  point  of  the  comparison  ;  for  as  a  complaint 
concerniniT  a  defeat  that  had  been  suffered  :  "  so  are  our  bones 
scattered  for  the  mouth  of  the  grave  (in  order  to  be  swallowed 
up  by  it),"  ver.  7,  would  be  alien  and  isolated  with  respect  to 
what  precedes  and  what  follows. 

Vers.  8-10.  If  ver.  7  is  not  merely  an  expression  of  the 
complaint,  but  at  the  same  time  of  hope,  we  now  have  no  need 
to  give  the  ^3  the  adversative  sense  of  imo,  but  we  may  leave  it 
its  most  natural  confirmatory  signification  namque.  From  this 
point  the  Psalm  gradually  dies  away  in  strains  comparatively 
easy  to  be  understood  and  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  situation. 
In  connection  with  ver.  8  one  is  reminded  of  xxv.  15,  xxxi.  2  ; 
with  vers.  9  sq.,  of  vii.  16,  Ixix.  23,  and  other  passages.  In 
"  pour  not  out  pyn  with  sharpened  vowel  insteatl  of  lyri,  Ges. 
§  75,  rem.  8)  my  soul,"  nny^  Piel^  is  equivalent  to  the  Iliph.  n"iyn 
in  Isa.  liii.  12.  ns  n^  are  as  it  were  the  hands  of  the  seizing 
and  capturing  snare;  and  v  Vk^'|T  is  virtually  a  genitive:  quiin- 
sidias  tendunt  mihi,  since  one  cannot  say  n3  K'|T,  ponere  laqueum. 
D'")b3Dj  nets,  in  ver.  10  is  another  hapaxlegomenon ;  the  enal- 
lage  numeri  is  as  in  Ixii.  5,  Isa.  ii.  8,  v.  23, — the  singular  that 
slips  in  refers  what  is  said  of  the  many  to  each  individual  in 
particular.  The  plural  riic'pjp  for  D'K'pb,  xviii.  6,  Ixiv.  6,  also 
occurs  only  here,  in^  is  to  be  explained  as  in  iv.  9  :  it  is  intended 
to  express  the  coincidence  of  the  overthrow  of  the  enemies  and 
the  going  forth  free  of  the  persecuted  one.  With  '3JX  nn^  the 
poet  gives  prominence  to  his  simultaneous,  distinct  destiny : 
simul  ego  dum  (ty  as  in  Job  viii.  21,  cf.  i.  18)  pm'tereo  h.  e. 
evado.  The  inverted  position  of  the  '3  in  cxviii.  10-12  may  be 
compared ;  with  cxx.  7  and  2  Kings  ii.  14,  however  (where 
instead  of  Nin'^lX  it  is  with  Thenius  to  be  read  i^iEN)^  the  case  is 
different. 

PSALM    CXLII. 

CRY  SENT  FORTH  FROM  THE  PRISON  TO  THE 
BEST  OF  FRIENDS. 

"J.   WITH  my  voice  to  .Tahve  do  I  cry, 

With  my  voice  to  Jalive  do  I  make  supplication, 


368  PSALM  CXLII. 

3  I  pour  forth  before  Him  my  complaint, . 
My  trouble  do  I  make  known  before  Him, 

4  When  my  spirit  veils  itself  within  me, 
Thou  indeed  art  acquainted  with  my  way. 

On  the  path  along  which  I  must  go, 

they  hide  a  trap  for  me. 

5  Look  to  the  right  and  see, 

no  friend  appeareth  for  me ; 
All  refuge  hath  failed  me, 

no  one  careth  for  my  soul, 

6  I  cry  unto  Thee,  Jahve, 

I  say :  Tnou  art  my  refuge. 

My  portion  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

7  Oh  hearken  to  my  cry  of  woe, 

for  I  am  very  weak ; 
Deliver  me  from  my  persecutors, 

for  they  are  too  strong  for  me. 

8  Oh  lead  my  soul  out  of  imprisonment, 

to  praise  Thy  Name — 
In  me  shall  the  righteous  glory  : 

that  Thou  dealest  bountifully  with  me. 

This  the  last  of  the  eight  Davidic  Psalms,  which  are  derived 
by  their  inscriptions  from  the  time  of  the  persecution  by  Saul 
(vid.  on  Ps.  xxxiv.),  is  inscribed :  A  Meditation  by  David,  lohen 
he  was  in  the  cave,  a  Prayer.  Of  these  eight  Psalms,  Ps.  Hi. 
and  liv.  also  bear  the  name  of  Masktl  (vid.  on  Ps.  xxxii.)  ;  and 
in  this  instance  npsri  (which  occurs  besides  as  an  inscription 
only  in  xc.  1,  cii.  1,  Hab.  iii.  1)  is  further  added,  which  looks 
like  an  explanation  of  the  word  maskil  (not  in  use  out  of  the 
range  of  Psalm-poetry).  The  article  of  nnyDa^  as  in  Ivii.  1, 
points  to  the  c&ve  of  Adullam  (1  Sam.  ch.  xxii.)  or  the  cave  of 
Engedi  (1  Sam.  ch.  xxiv.),  which  latter,  starting  from  a  narrow 
concealed  entrance,  forms  such  a  labyrinthine  maze  of  passages 
and  vaults  that  the  torches  and  lines  of  explorers  have  not  to 
the  present  time  been  able  to  reach  the  extremities  of  it. 

The  Psalm  does  not  contain  any  sure  signs  of  a  post- 
Da^•idic  age ;  still  it  appears  throughout  to  be  an  imitation  of 


rSALM  CXLII.  2-6  3G9 

older  models,  and  pre-eminently  by  means  of  vers.  2  sq.  (cf. 
Ixxvii.  2  sq.)  and  ver.  4  (c-f.  Ixxvii.  4)  it  comes  into  a  relation 
of  dependence  to  Ps.  Ixxvii.,  which  is  also  noticeable  in  Ps. 
cxiiii.  (cf.  ver.  5  with  Ixxvii.  12  sq.).  The  referring  back  of  the 
two  Psalms  to  David  comes  under  one  and  the  same  judgment. 

Vers.  2-4a.  The  emphasis  of  the  first  two  lines  rests  upon 
'n"?S.  Forsaken  by  all  created  beings,  he  confides  in  Jahve. 
He  turns  to  Him  in  pathetic  and  importunate  prayer  (pi'T,  the 
j)arallel  word  being  IHO'?'?,  as  in  xxx.  9),  and  that  not  merely 
inwardly  (Ex.  xiv.  15),  but  with  his  voice  (vid.  on  iii.  5) — for 
audible  prayer  reacts  soothingly,  strengtheningly,  and  sancti- 
fyingly  upon  the  praying  one — he  pours  out  before  Him  hi^ 
trouble  which  distracts  his  thoughts  (n''tf  TjS'j'  as  in  cii.  1,  cf. 
Ixii.  9,  Ixiv.  2,  1  Sam.  i.  IG),  he  lays  open  before  Him  everything 
that  burdens  and  distresses  him.  Not  as  though  He  did  not  also 
know  it  without  all  this ;  on  the  contrary,  when  his  spirit  ("nn 
as  in  cxiiii.  4,  Ixxvii.  4,  cf.  ''vr^  Jonah  ii.  8  [7j,  Ps.  cvii.  5,  ''^^ 
Ixi.  o)  within  him  (vy,  see  xlii.  5)  is  enshrouded  and  languishes, 
just  this  is  his  consolation,  that  Jahve  is  intimately  acquainted 
with  his  way  together  with  the  dangers  that  threaten  him  at 
every  step,  and  therefore  also  understands  how  to  estimate  the 
title  (right)  and  meaning  of  his  complaints.  The  Waw  of  nnxi 
is  the  same  as  in  1  Kings  viii.  36,  cf.  35.  Instead  of  saying : 
tlien  I  comfort  myself  with  the  fact  that,  etc.,  he  at  once  declares 
the  fact  with  which  he  comforts  himself.  Supposing  this  to  be 
the  case,  there  is  no  need  for  any  alteration  of  the  text  in  order 
to  get  over  that  which  is  apparently  incongruous  in  the  relation 
of  ver.  4i  to  4a. 

Vers.  4i-6.  The  prayer  of  the  poet  now  becomes  deej)- 
breathed  and  excited,  inasmuch  as  he  goes  more  minutely  into 
the  details  of  his  straitened  situation.  Everywhere,  whitherso- 
ever he  has  to  go  (cf.  on  cxiiii.  8),  the  snares  of  craftily  calcu^ 
lating  foes  threaten  him.  Even  God's  all-seeing  eye  will  not 
discover  any  one  who  would  right  faithfully  and  carefully  in- 
terest himself  in  him.  C'zn,  look !  is  a  graphic  hybrid  form  of 
t23n  and  t^^zn^  the  usual  and  the  rare  imperative  form  ;  cf.  N'?!^ 
1  Sam.  XX.  40  (cf.  Jer.  xvii.  18),  and  the  same  modes  of  writing 
the  i»f.  absul.  in  Judg,  i.  28,  Amos  ix.  8,  and  the  Jut.  coiiv.  in 
Ezek.  xl.  3.     1'2D  is,  as  in  Ptuth  ii.  19,  cf.  10,  one  who  looks 

VOL.  111.  24 


370  rSALM  CXLII.  4-G. 

kindly  upon  any  one,  a  considerate  (cf.  the  phrase  D'jS  ■>''3n) 
Avell-wisher  and  friend.  Such  an  one,  if  he  had  one,  would  be 
i:''p^~7j;  no'y  or  ia^O'^o  (xvi.  8),  for  an  open  attack  is  directed  to 
the  arms-bearing  right  side  (cix.  6),  and  there  too  the  helper  in 
battle  (ex.  5)  and  the  defender  or  advocate  (cix.  31)  takes  his 
place  in  order  to  cover  him  who  is  imperilled  (cxxi.  5).  But 
then  if  God  looks  in  that  direction,  He  will  find  him,  who  is 
praying  to  Him,  unprotected.  Instead  of  pXI  one  would  certainly 
have  sooner  expected  "iK's  or  '•3  as  the  form  of  introducing  the 
condition  in  which  he  is  found;  but  Hitzig's  conjecture,  T^\  t3''3n 
nxi"),  "  looking  for  days  and  seeing,"  gives  us  in  the  place  of  this 
difficulty  a  confusing  half-Aramaism  in  po^^r^i"'  in  the  sense 
of  D''0^  in  Dan.  viii.  27,  Neh.  i.  4.  Ewald's  rendering  is  better: 
"  though  I  look  to  the  right  hand  and  see  ('^^'^'!),  yet  no  friend 
appears  for  me ; "  but  this  use  of  the  i»/.  absol.  with  an  adver- 
sative apodosis  is  without  example.  Thus  therefore  the  pointing 
appears  to  have  lighted  upon  the  correct  idea,  inasmuch  as  it 
recognises  here  the  current  formula  ns"}^  D^n^  e.g.  Job  xxxv.  5, 
Lam.  V.  1.  The  fact  that  David,  although  surrounded  by  a 
band  of  loyal  subjects,  confesses  to  having  no  true  friend,  is  to 
be  understood  similarly  to  the  language  of  Paul  when  he  says 
in  Phil.  ii.  20 :  "I  have  no  man  like-minded."  All  human 
love,  since  sin  has  taken  possession  of  humanity,  is  more  or  less 
selfish,  and  all  fellowship  of  faith  and  of  love  imperfect;  and 
there  are  circumstances  in  life  in  which  these  dark  sides  make 
themselves  felt  overpoweringly,  so  that  a  man  seems  to  himself 
to  be  perfectly  isolated  and  turns  all  the  more  urgently  to  God, 
who  alone  is  able  to  supply  the  soul's  want  of  some  object  to 
Jove,  whose  love  is  absolutely  unselfish,  and  unchangeable,  and 
unbeclouded,  to  whom  the  soul  can  confide  without  reserve 
whatever  burdens  it,  and  who  not  only  honestly  desires  its  good, 
but  is  able  also  to  compass  it  in  s})ite  of  every  obstacle.  Sur- 
rounded by  bloodthirsty  enemies,  and  misunderstood,  or  at  least 
not  thoroughly  understood,  by  his  friends,  David  feels  himself 
broken  off  from  all  created  beings.  On  tliis  earth  every  kind 
of  refuge  is  for  him  lost  (the  expression  is  like  Job  xi.  20). 
There  is  no  one  there  who  should  ask  after  or  care  for  his  soul, 
and  should  right  earnestly  exert  himself  for  its  deliverance. 
Thus,  then,  despairing  of  all  visible  things,  he  cries  to  the  Invi- 
sible One.    Ilf  is  his  ''  refuge  "  (xci.  9)  and  his  "  portion  "  (xvi.  5, 


rSxM.M  CXI.II.  7,  8.  ?>'l 

Ixxiii.  20),  i.e.  the  sliare  in  a  possession  that  satisfies  liiin.  Td  bi* 
allowed  to  call  Him  his  God — this  it  is  which  suflicesliim  an  1  out- 
weighs everything.  For  Jahve  is  tlie  Living  One,  and  he  who 
possesses  Him  as  his  own  finds  himself  thereby  "  in  the  land  of 
the  living  "  (xxvii.  13,  lii.  7).  He  cannot  die,  he  cannot  perish. 
Vers.  7,  8.  His  request  now  ascends  all  the  more  confident 
of  being  answered,  and  becomes  calm,  being  well-grounded  in 
his  feebleness  and  the  superiority  of  his  enemies,  and  aiming 
at  the  glorifying  of  the  divine  Name.  In  ver.  7  ^np  calls  to 
mind  xvii.  1 ;  the  first  confirmation,  Ixxix.  8,  and  the  second, 
xviii.  18.  But  this  is  the  only  passage  in  the  whole  Psalter 
where  the  poet  designates  the  "distress"  in  which  he  finds 
himself  as  a  prison  ("'3?'?).  Ver.  Sb  brings  the  whole  congre- 
gation of  the  righteous  in  in  the  praising  of  the  divine  Name. 
The  poet  therefore  does  not  after  all  find  himself  so  absolutely 
alone,  as  it  might  seem  according  to  ver.  5.  He  is  far  from 
regarding  himself  as  the  only  righteous  person.  He  is  only  u 
member  of  a  community  or  church  whose  destiny  is  interwoven 
with  his  own,  and  which  will  glory  in  his  deliverance  as  its 
own ;  for  "  if  one  member  is  honoui'ed,  all  the  members  re- 
joice with  it "  (1  Cor.  xii.  2Q).  We  understand  the  differently 
interpreted  ^"i"^?!  after  this  "rejoicing  with"  {avyxaipei).  The 
LXX.,  Syriac,  and  Aquila  render:  the  righteous  wait  for  me ; 
but  to  wait  is  iri3  and  not  ""''"li^n.  The  modern  versions,  on 
the  other  hand,  almost  universally,  like  Luther  after  Felix 
Pratensis,  render :  the  righteous  shall  surround  me  (flock  about 
me),  in  connection  with  which,  as  Hengstenberg  observes,  "2 
<lenotes  the  tender  sympathy  they  feel  with  him :  crowding 
closely  upon  me.  But  there  is  no  instance  of  a  verb  of  sur- 
rounding («1?J<,  3?9,  330,  n^y,  IDV,  tl'ipn)  taking  3 ;  the  accusa- 
tive stands  with  "'''Ji^n  in  Hab.  i.  4,  and  "in3  in  xxii.  13,  in  the 
signification  cvigere.  Symmachus  (although  erroneously  ren- 
dering: TO  ouofjbd  (Tov  <TTe<f)avci}aovTai  8t'/caiot),  Jerome  {in  me 
coronubimtar  jntiti),  Parciion,  Aben-Ezra,  Coccejus,  and  others, 
rightly  take  ii'^^?"  as  a  denominative  from  "iri3,  to  put  on  a  crown 
or  to  crown  (cf.  Prov.  xiv.  18):  on  account  of  me  the  righteous 
siiall  adorn  themselves  as  with  crowns,  i.e.  shall  triumph,  that 
Thou  dealest  bountifully  with  me  (an  echo  of  xiii.  G).  Ac- 
cording to  passages  like  Ixiv.  11,  xl.  17,  one  might  have  ex- 
pected 13  instead  of  '3.     P.ut  the  close  of  Ps.  xxii.  (vers.  23 


372  PSALM  CXLIII. 

sqq.),  cf.  cxl.  12  sq.,  shows  that  ""^  is  also  admissible.  The 
very  fact  that  David  contemplates  his  own  destiny  and  the 
destiny  of  his  foes  in  a  not  merely  ideal  but  foreordainedly 
causal  connection  with  the  general  end  of  the  two  powers  that 
stand  opposed  to  one  another  in  the  world,  belongs  to  the 
characteristic  impress  of  the  Psalms  of  David  that  come  from 
\he  time  of  Saul's  persecution. 


PSALM    CXLIII. 

LONGING  AFTER  MERCY  IN  THE  MIDST  OF  DARK 
IMPRISONMENT. 

1  JAHVE,  hear  my  prayer,  oh  give  ear  to  my  supplication  ; 
In  Thy  faithfulness  answer  me,  in  Thy  righteousness. 

2  And  enter  not  into  judgment  with  Thy  servant, 
For  before  Thee  no  man  living  is  righteous. 

3  For  the  enemy  hath  persecuted  my  soul, 
He  hath  crushed  my  life  to  the  ground, 

He  hath  made  me  to  lie  down  in  terrible  darkness,  like 
those  for  ever  dead. 

4  And  my  spirit  languisheth  within  me, 

In  my  inward  part  my  heart  is  benumbed. 

5  I  remember  the  days  of  old, 

I  meditate  upon  all  Thy  doing, 
I  muse  upon  the  work  of  Thy  hands. 
G  I  stretch  forth  my  hands  unto  Thee, 

My  soul  is  as  a  thirsty  land  unto  Thee !     (Sehi.) 

7  Answer  me  speedily,  Jahve,  my  spirit  yearneth  : 
Hide  not  Thy  face  from  me, 

I  should  become  like  those  who  go  down  to  the  pit. 

8  Let  me  hear  Thy  loving-kindness  with  the  dawn  of  the 
For  I  trust  in  Thee.  [morning, 
Make  known  to  me  the  way  in  which  I  am  to  go, 

For  unto  Thee  do  I  lift  up  my  soul. 

9  Deliver  me  from  mine  enemies,  Jahve  I 
I  have  hidden  myself  with  Thee. 


PSALM  CXLlir.  1-G.  373 

10  Teach  ir.e  to  do  Tliy  will, 
For  Thou  art  niv  God  ; 

I-,et  Thy  pood  Spirit  lead  me  in  an  even  land. 

11  Fur  Thy  Name's  sake,  .Tahve,  quicken  me  again, 

lu  Tliy  righteousness  be  pleased  to  bring  my  soul  out  of 
trouble, 

12  And  in  Thy  loving-kindness  cut  off  mine  eueaiics. 
And  destroy  all  the  oppressors  of  my  soul, 

For  I  am  Thy  servant. 

In  some  codices  of  the  LXX.  this  Psalm  (as  Eutliymius 
also  bears  witness)  has  no  inscription  at  all ;  in  others,  however, 
it  has  the  inscription  :  WaXfio<;  rw  AaveiS  ore  avrov  eSicoKev 
'A/Sea-aaXoo/j.  o  vio^  avrov  (^Cod.  Sinaif.  ore  avTov  o  va  kutu- 
SccoKet).  Perhaps  by  the  same  poet  as  Ps.  cxlii.,  with  which  it 
accords  in  vers.  4,  8,  11  (cf.  cxlii.  4,  8),  it  is  like  this  a  modern 
offshoot  of  the  Davidic  Psalm-poetry,  and  is  certainly  composed 
as  coming  out  of  the  situation  of  him  who  was  persecuted  by 
Absalom.  The  Psalms  of  this  time  of  persecution  are  dis- 
tinguished from  those  of  the  time  of  the  persecution  by  Saul 
by  the  deep  melancholy  into  which  the  mourning  of  the  de- 
throned king  was  turned  by  blending  with  the  penitential 
sorrowfulness  of  one  conscious  of  his  own  guilt.  On  account 
of  this  fundamental  feature  the  church  has  chosen  Ps.  cxliii. 
for  the  last  of  its  seven  Psalmi  pceniteiitiales.  The  Sela  at  the 
close  of  ver.  6  divides  the  Psalm  into  two  halves. 

Vers.  1-G.  The  poet  pleads  two  motives  for  the  answei- 
ing  of  his  prayer  which  are  to  be  found  in  God  Himself,  viz. 
God's  i^^^^^^,  truthfulness,  with  which  He  verifies  the  truth  of 
His  promises,  that  is  to  say,  His  faithfulness  to  His  promises; 
and  His  '"'i^'^-f,  righteousness,  not  in  a  recompensative  legal 
sense,  but  in  an  evangelical  sense,  in  accordance  with  His 
counsel,  i.e.  the  strictness  and  earnestness  with  which  He 
maintains  the  order  of  salvation  established  by  His  holy  love, 
both  against  the  ungratefully  disobedient  and  against  those 
who  insolently  despise  Him.  Having  entered  into  this  order 
of  salvation,  and  within  the  sphere  of  it  serving  .Tahve  as  his 
God  and  Lord,  the  poet  is  the  servant  of  Jahve.  And  because 
the  conduct  of  the  God  of  salvation,  ruled  by  this  order  of 


374  PSALM  cxLiir.  i-c. 

salvation,  or  His  "righteousness"  according  to  its  fundamental 
manifestation,  consists  in  His  justifying  the  sinful  man  who 
has  no  righteousness  that  he  can  show  corresponding  to  the 
divine  holiness,  but  penitently  confesses  this  disorganized  re- 
lationship, and,  eager  for  salvation,  longs  for  it  to  be  set  right 
again, — because  of  all  this,  the  poet  prays  that  He  would  not 
also  enter  into  judgment  (t^stl'pa  Ni3  as  in  Job  ix.  32,  xxii.  4, 
xiv.  3)  with  him,  that  He  therefore  would  let  mercy  instead 
of  justice  have  its  course  with  him.  For,  apart  from  the  fact 
that  even  the  holiness  of  the  good  spirits  does  not  coincide  with 
God's  absolute  holiness,  and  that  this  defect  must  still  be  very 
far  greater  in  the  case  of  spirit-corporeal  man,  who  has  earthi- 
ness  as  the  basis  of  his  origin, — yea,  according  to  li.  7,  man  is 
conceived  in  sin,  so  that  he  is  sinful  from  the  point  at  which  he 
begins  to  live  onward, — his  life  is  indissolubly  interwoven  with 
sin,  no  living  man  possesses  a  righteousness  that  avails  befoi'e 
God  (Job  iv.  17,  ix.  2,  xiv.  3  sq.,  xv.  14,  and  frequently).* 

With  ""S  (ver.  3)  the  poet  introduces  the  ground  of  his 
petition  for  an  answer,  and  more  particularly  for  the  forgiveness 
of  his  guilt.  He  is  persecuted  by  deadly  foes  and  is  already 
nigh  unto  death,  and  that  not  without  transgression  of  his  own, 
so  that  consequently  his  deliverance  depends  upon  the  forgive- 
ness of  his  sins,  and  will  coincide  with  this.  "  The  enemy  per- 
secuteth  my  soul"  is  a  variation  of  language  taken  from  vii.  6 
(n^n  for  D''tn,  as  in  Ixxviii.  50,  and  frequently  in  the  Book  of 
Job,  more  particularly  in  the  speeches  of  Elihu).  Ver.  3c  also 
recalls  vii.  6,  but  as  to  the  words  it  sounds  like  Lam.  iii.  6  (cf. 
Ixxxviii.  7).  D/iy  ''0^  (LXX,  veKpov<;  alMvo<i)  are  either  those 
for  ever  dead  (the  Syriac),  after  D/iV  riJC'  in  Jer.  li.  39,  cf. 
iopiy  IT'S  in  Eccles.  xii.  5,  or  those  dead  time  out  of  mind 
(Jerome),  after  D^iV  DV  in  Ezek.  xxvi.  20.  The  genitive  con- 
struction admits  both  senses  ;  the  former,  however,  is  rendered 
more  natural  by  the  consideration  that  ''p2''K'in  glances  back  to 
the  beginning  that  seems  to  have  no  end  :  the  poet  seems  to 
himself  like  one  who  is  buried  alive  for  ever.     In  consequence 


*  Gerson  observes  on  this  point  (yid.  Thomasius,  Dogmatik,  iv.  251)  :  I 
desire  the  righteotuaness  of  pity,  which  Thou  bcstowest  in  the  present  life, 
not  the  jiulgmeut  of  that  righteousness  which  Thou  wilt  put  into  operatiou 
in  tlie  future  life — the  righteousness  which  justifies  the  reptntaut  one. 


PSALM  CXLIII.  7-12.  375 

of  this  lioslility  which  aims  at  his  destruction,  the  poet  feels 
his  spirit  within  him,  and  consequently  his  inmost  hfe,  veil 
itself  (the  expression  is  the  same  as  cxiii.  4,  Ixxvii.  4) ;  and 
in  his  inward  part  his  heart  falls  into  a  state  of  disturbance 
(DCinp",  a  IJU/ipo.  peculiar  to  the  later  language),  so  that  it 
almost  ceases  to  beat.  He  calls  to  mind  the  former  days,  in 
w  hich  Jahve  was  manifestly  with  him ;  he  reflects  upon  the 
i:;reat  redemptive  work  of  God,  with  all  the  deeds  of  might  and 
mercy  in  which  it  has  hitherto  been  unfolded ;  he  meditate^ 
upon  the  doing  (nb'j?i03,  Ben-Naphtali  nL;'j,'02)  of  His  hands,  i.e. 
the  hitherto  so  woudrously  moulded  history  of  himself  and  of 
his  people.  They  are  echoes  out  of  Ixxvii.  4-7,  12  sq.  The 
contrast  which  presents  itself  to  the  Psalmist  in  connection 
w  ith  this  comparison  of  his  present  circumstances  with  the  past 
opens  his  wounds  still  deeper,  and  makes  his  prayer  for  helj) 
ail  the  more  urgent.  He  stretches  forth  his  hands  to  God 
that  He  may  protect  and  assist  him  (vid.  Hoiemann,  Bibel- 
studien,  i.  150  f.).  Like  a  parched  land  is  his  soul  turned  to- 
wards Him, — language  in  which  we  recognise  a  bending  round 
of  the  primary  passage  Ixiii.  2.  Instead  of  1?  it  would  be  ^^, 
if  npp  (Targum  rp?>?)  were  not,  as  it  always  is,  taken  up  and 
included  in  the  sequence  of  the  accents. 

Vers.  7-12.  In  this  second  half  the  Psalm  seems  still 
more  like  a  reproduction  of  the  thoughts  of  earlier  Psalms. 
The  prayer,  "  answer  me  speedily,  hide  not  Thy  face  from 
me,"  sounds  like  Ixix.  18,  xxvii.  9,  cf.  cii.  3.  The  expression 
of  languishing  longing,  ""nn  nn73   is  like  Ixxxiv.  3.     And  the 

D  O  on'-  T  :  IT' 

apodosis,  "  else  I  should  become  like  those  who  go  down  into 
the  pit,"  agrees  word  for  word  with  xxviii.  1,  cf.  Ixxxviii.  5. 
In  connection  with  the  words,  "  cause  me  to  hear  Thy  loving- 
kindness  in  the  early  morning,"  one  is  reminded  of  the  similar 
prayer  of  jSIoses  in  xc.  14,  and  with  the  confirmatory  "  for  in 
Thee  do  I  trust"  of  xxv.  2,  and  frequently.  "With  the  prayer 
that  the  night  of  affliction  may  have  an  end  with  the  next 
morning's  dawn,  and  that  God's  helping  loving-kindness  may 
make  itself  felt  by  him,  is  joined  the  prayer  that  God  would 
be  pleased  to  grant  him  to  know  the  way  that  he  has  to  go  in 
order  to  escape  thu  destruction  into  which  they  are  anxious  to 
ensnare  him.  This  last  prayer  has  its  type  in  Ex.  xxxiii.  l.i, 
and  in  the  Psalter  in  xxv.  4  (cf.  cxlii.  4)  ;  and  its  confirmation : 


Otb  PSALM  CXLIII.  7-12. 

for  to  Thee  have  I  lifted  up  my  soul,  viz.  in  a  craving  after 
salvation  and  in  the  confidence  of  faitli,  has  its  type  in  xxv.  1, 
Ixxxvi.  4.  But  the  words  "'ri''E)3  T2^,  which  are  added  to  the 
petition  "  deliver  me  from  mine  enemies"  (lix.  2,  xxxi.  16),  are 
peculiar,  and  in  their  expression  without  example.  The  Syriac 
version  leaves  them  untranslated.  The  LXX.  renders  :  ort 
77/009  ce  KaTe(f)V'yov,  by  which  the  defective  mode  of  writing  TlDD 
is  indirectly  attested,  instead  of  which  the  translators  read  MD3 
(cf.  i'V  D13  in  Isa.  x.  3)  ;  for  elsewhere  not  non  but  D^2  is 
reproduced  with  Karac^v^eiv.  The  Targum  renders  it  ^'^P'''? 
pnap  "'n''30,  Thy  Logos  do  I  account  as  (my)  Redeemer  {i.e. 
regard  it  as  such),  as  if  the  Hebrew  words  were  to  be  ren- 
dered :  upon  Thee  do  I  reckon  or  count,  ''^"'DB  =  ''^P?,  Ex. 
xii.  4.  Luther  closely  follows  the  LXX. :  "  to  Thee  have  I 
fled  for  refuge."  Jerome,  however,  inasmuch  as  he  renders  : 
ad  te  protectus  sum,  has  pointed  ^^''Dp  ("'n'DD).  Hitzig  (on  the 
passage  before  us  and  Prov.  vii.  20)  reads  ''003  from  ND3  =: 
xap,  to  look  ("  towards  Thee  do  I  look").  But  the  Hebrew 
contains  no  trace  of  that  verb  ;  the  full  moon  is  called  XDD 
(noa),  not  as  being  "  a  sight  or  vision,  species,'"  but  from  its 
covered  orb  (vol.  ii.  394). 

The  ■'Opa  before  us  only  admits  of  two  interpretations  : 
(1)  Ad  (apud)  te  texi  =  to  Thee  have  I  secretly  confided  it 
(Rashi,  Aben-Ezra,  Kimchi,  Coccejus,  J.  H.  Michaelis,  J.  D. 
Michaelis,  Rosenmiiller,  Gesenius,  and  De  Wette).  But  such 
a  constructio  p)rcegnans,  in  connection  with  which  nB3  would 
veer  round  from  the  signification  to  veil  (cf.  p  nD3,  Gen. 
xviii.  17)  into  its  opposite,  and  the  clause  have  the  meaning  of 
^n^b  'n\^N:  ^3,  Jer.  xi.  20,  xx.  12,  is  hardly  conceivable.  (2)  Ad 
(apud)  te  ahscondidi,  scil.  me  (Saadia,  Calvin,  Maurer,  Ewald, 
and  Hengstenberg),  in  favour  of  which  we  decide ;  for  it  is 
evident  from  Gen.  xxxviii.  14,  Deut.  xxii.  12,  cf.  Jonah  iii.  6, 
that  nD3  can  express  the  act  of  covering  as  an  act  that  is 
referred  to  the  person  himself  who  covers,  and  so  can  obtain  a 
reflexive  meaning.  Therefore  :  towards  Thee,  with  Thee  have 
I  made  a  hiding  =  hidden  myself,  which  according  to  the 
sense  is  equivalent  to  ''0''9''7  {vid.  vol.  i.  99),  as  Hupfeld  (with 
a  few  MSS.)  wishes  to  read ;  but  Abulwalid  has  already  re- 
marked that  the  same  goal  is  reached  with  ""riEiS.  Jahve,  with 
whom  he  hides  himself,  is  aloue  able  to  make  known  to  him 


rSALM  CXLIII.  7-12  377 

\\liat  is  right  and  beneficial  in  tlie  position  in  which  he  finds 
liimself,  in  which  lie  is  exposed  to  temporal  and  spiritual 
dangers,  and  is  able  to  teach  him  to  carry  out  the  recognised 
will  of  God  ("  the  will  of  God,  good  and  well-pleasing  antl 
]>erfect,"  Rom.  xii.  2) ;  and  this  it  is  for  which  he  ])rays  to  Him 
in  ver.  10  (V)^  ;  another  reading,  "n^^vn).  For  .Tahve  is  indeed 
his  God,  who  cannot  leave  him,  who  is  assailed  and  tempted 
without  and  within,  in  error ;  may  His  good  Spirit  then  (TH'"'^ 
nniD  for  nnitsn^  Neh.  ix.  20*)  lead  him  in  a  level  country,  for,' 
as  it  is  said  in  Isaiah,  ch.  xxvi.  7,  in  looking  up  to  Jahve,  "  the 
path  which  the  righteous  man  takes  is  smoothness ;  Thou 
makest  the  course  of  the  righteous  smootii."  The  geographical 
term  "liti'^p  ('^S,  Deut.  iv.  43,  Jer.  xlviii.  21,  is  here  applied 
spiritually.  Here,  too,  reminiscences  of  Psalms  already  read 
meet  us  everywhere  :  cf.  on  "  to  do  Thy  will,"  xl.  9  ;  on  "  for 
Thou  art  my  God,"  xl.  6,  and  frequently  ;  on  "  Thy  good 
Spirit,"  li.  14  ;  on  "  a  level  country,"  and  the  whole  petition, 
xxvii.  11  (where  the  expresssion  is  "  a  level  path"),  together 
with  V.  9,  XXV.  4  sq.,  xxxi.  4.  And  the  Psalm  also  furthei 
\inrolls  itself  in  such  now  well-known  thoughts  of  the  Psalms  : 
For  Thy  Name's  sake,  Jahve  (xxv.  11),  quicken  me  again  (Ixxi. 
20,  and  frequently)  ;  by  virtue  of  Thy  righteousness  be  pleased 
to  bring  my  soul  out  of  distress  (cxlii.  8,  xxv.  17,  and  fre- 
quently) ;  and  by  virtue  of  Thy  loving-kindness  cut  off  mine 
enemies  (liv.  7).  As  in  ver.  1  faithfulness  and  righteousness, 
here  loving-kindness  (mercy)  and  righteousness,  are  coupled 
together ;  and  that  so  that  mercy  is  not  named  beside  N''i:in,  nor 
righteousness  beside  n"'D>'rij  but  the  reverse  {vid.  on  ver.  1).  It 
is  impossible  that  God  should  suffer  him  who  has  hidden  him- 
self in  Him  to  die  and  perish,  and  should  suffer  his  enemies 
on  the  other  hand  to  triumph.     Tiiercfore  the  poet  confirms 


*  Properly,  "  Thy  Spirit,  a  good  one,"  so  that  ri3VJ  is  an  adjectival 
apposition ;  as  we  can  also  say  naion  nil,  a  spirit,  the  good  one,  although 
kuch  irregularities  may  also  be  a  negligent  usage  of  the  language,  like  the 
Arabic  «_<ljs}!l  t>.^Uu.<,  the  chief  mosque,  -which  many  grammarians 
regard  as  a  construct  relationship,  others  as  an  ellipsis  (inasmuch  as  they 
supply  ^'X/»!^  between  the  words)  ;  the  former  is  coufirnie(l  from  thu 
Hebrew,  rid.  Ewald,  §  L'87,  a. 


o78  PSALM  CXLIV. 

the  prayer  for  the  cutting  off  (n"'»yn  as  In  xciv.  23)  of  his 
enemies  and  the  destruction  (T'?^?.^.,  elsewhere  "I3S)  of  the 
oppressors  of  his  soul  (elsewhere  ''T]'^)  with  the  words  :  for  I 
am  Tliy  servant. 


PSALM    CXLIV. 

TAKING  COURAGE  IN  GOD  BEFORE  A  DECISIVE  COMBAT. 
The  blessed  condition  of  God's  ]?eopIe. 

1  BLESSED  be  Jahve  my  Rock, 
Who  traineth  my  hands  for  the  fight, 
My  fingers  for  the  war — 

2  My  loving-kindness  and  my  fortress, 
My  high  tower  and  my  deliverer  for  me, 
My  shield  and  He  in  whom  I  hide, 
Who  subdueth  my  people  under  me  ! 

3  Jahve,  what  is  man  that  Thou  takest  knowledge  of  him, 
The  child  of  mortal  man  that  Thou  heedest  him  ! 

4  As  for  man,  he  is  like  a  breath, 

His  days  are  as  a  shadow  that  vanislieth  awny. 

5  Jahve,  bow  Thy  heavens  and  come  down, 
Touch  the  mountains  that  they  smoke. 

()  Cast  forth  lightnings  to  scatter  them  ; 
Send  forth  Thine  arrows  to  destroy  them. 

7  Send  Thy  hands  from  above, 

Rescue  me  and  deliver  me  out  of  great  waters  : 
Out  of  the  hand  of  the  sons  of  the  strange  land, 

8  Whose  mouth  speaketh  vanity, 

And  whose  right  hand  is  a  right  hand  of  falsehood. 

9  Elohim,  a  new  song  will  I  sing  unto  Thee, 
Upon  a  ten-stringed  nabla  will  I  play  unto  Thee, 

10  Who  giveth  salvation  unto  kings. 

Who  rescueth  David  His  servant  from  the  evil  sword, 

11  Rescue  and  deliver  me  out  of  the  hand  of  the  sons  of  the 

strange  land, 


rsALM  cxLiv.  379 

Wliosc  nioiith  speaketh  vanity, 

Whose  right  hand  is  a  right  hand  of  falsehood. 

12  Because  our  sons  are  as  h'ujli-v eared  plants  in  their  youthful 

viijour, 
Our  daughters  as  adorned  corners  after  the  mode  of  structure 
of  a  palace ; 

13  Our  garners  fully  affording  every  kind  of  store  ; 

Our  sheep  bringing  forth  by  thousands,  multiplying  by  tens 
of  thousands  in  our  pastures  ; 

14  Our  kine  bearing  icithout  mishap  and  without  loss, 
And  no  lamentation  in  our  streets. 

15  Blessed  is  the  people  that  is  in  such  a  case, 
Blessed  is  the  people  ichose  God  is  Jahce  ! 

Praised  be  Jahve  who  teacheth  me  to  fight  and  conquer 
(vers.  1,  2),  me  the  feeble  mortal,  who  am  strong  only  iu  Him, 
vers.  3,  4.  May  Jahve  then  be  pleased  to  grant  a  victory  this 
time  also  over  the  boastful,  lying  enemies,  vers.  5-8  ;  so  will  I 
sing  new  songs  of  thanksgiving  unto  Him,  the  bestower  of 
victory,  vers.  9,  10.  May  He  be  pleased  to  deliver  me  out  of 
the  hand  of  the  barbarians  who  envy  us  our  prosperity,  which 
is  the  result  of  our  having  Jahve  as  our  God,  vers.  11-15.  A 
ijlance  at  this  course  of  the  thoucrht  commends  the  additional 
inscription  of  the  LXX.  (according  to  Origen  only  "in  a  few 
copies"),  TT/Do?  Tov  roXcciB,  and  the  Targumist's  reference  of  the 
"  evil  sword"  in  ver.  10  to  the  sword  of  Goliath  (after  the 
example  of  the  Midrash).  Read  1  Sam.  xvii.  47.  The  Psalm 
has  grown  out  of  this  utterance  of  David.  In  one  of  the  old 
histories,  just  as  several  of  these  lie  at  the  foundation  of  our 
Books  of  Samuel  as  sources  of  information  that  are  still  re- 
cognisable, it  was  intended  to  express  the  feelings  with  whicii 
David  entered  upon  the  single-handed  combat  with  Goliath 
and  decided  the  victory  of  Israel  over  the  Piiihstines.  At  that 
time  he  had  already  been  anointed  by  Samuel,  as  both  the 
narratives  which  have  been  worked  up  together  in  the  First 
Book  of  Samuel  assume  :  see  1  Sam.  xvi.  13,  x.  1.  And  this 
victory  was  for  him  a  gigantic  stride  to  the  throne. 

If  "I'^J'N  in  ver.  12a  is  taken  as  eo  quod,  so  that  envy  is 
brought  under  consideration  as  a  motive  for  the  causeless  (^]'^"), 


380  rSALM  CXLIV.  1,  2. 

l_yingly  treacherous  rising  ("ip^'  Pp"!)  of  the  neighbounng  peoples, 
then  the  passage  vers.  12-15  can  at  any  rate  be  comprehended 
as  a  part  of  the  form  of  the  whole.  But  only  thus,  and  not 
otherwise ;  for  "iK'N  cannot  be  intended  as  a  statement  of  the 
aim  or  purpose:  in  order  that  they  may  be  .  .  .  (Jerome,  De 
Wette,  Hengstenberg,  and  others),  since  nothing  but  illustra- 
tive substantival  clauses  follow;  nor  do  these  clauses  admit  of 
an  optative  sense  :  We,  whose  sons,  may  they  be  .  .  .  (Maurer) ; 
and  ■lt^'X  never  has  an  assuring  sense  (Vaihinger).  It  is  also 
evident  that  we  cannot,  with  Saadia,  go  back  to  ver.  9  for  the 

interpretation  of  the  "ICTS  (U  j-U  ^a--!).     But  that  junction 

by  means  of  eo  quod  is  hazardous,  since  envy  or  ill-will  (nX3p) 
is  not  previously  mentioned,  and  "li?^  T'?."'  ^?''^"'^.  expresses  a  fact, 
and  not  an  action.  If  it  is  further  considered  that  nothing  is 
wanting  in  the  way  of  finish  to  the  Psalm  if  it  closes  with  ver. 
11,  it  becomes  all  the  more  doubtful  whether  vers.  12-15  be- 
longed originally  to  the  Psalm.  And  yet  we  cannot  discover 
any  Psalm  in  its  immediate  neighbourhood  to  which  this  piece 
might  be  attached.  It  might  the  most  readily,  as  Hitzig  cor- 
rectly judges,  be  inserted  between  vers.  13  and  14  of  Ps.  cxlvii. 
But  the  rhythm  and  style  differ  from  this  Psalm,  and  we  must 
therefore  rest  satisfied  with  the  fact  that  a  fragment  of  another 
Psalm  is  here  added  to  Ps.  cxliv.,  which  of  necessity  may  be 
accounted  as  an  integral  part  of  it ;  but  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  the  whole  Psalm  is  built  up  on  a  gigantic  scale,  this  was 
not  its  original  corner-stone,  just  as  one  does  not  indeed  look 
for  anything  further  after  the  refrain,  together  with  the  men- 
tion of  David  in  vers.  10  sq.,  cf.  xviii.  51. 

Vers.  1,  2.  The  whole  of  this  first  strophe  is  an  imitation 
of  David's  great  song  of  thanksgiving,  Ps.  xviii.  Hence  the 
calling  of  Jahve  "my  rock,"  xviii.  3,  47;  hence  the  heaping 
up  of  other  appellations  in  ver.  2a,  in  which  xviii.  3  is  echoed  ; 
but  v"''tppDD1  (with  Lamed  deprived  of  the  Dagesh)  follows  the 
model  of  2  Sam.  xxii.  2.  The  naming  of  Jahve  with  "'ipn  is  a 
bold  abbreviation  of  '''HDn  "^rp^  in  lix.  11,  18,  as  also  in  Jonah 
ii.  9  [8]  the  God  whom  the  idolatrous  ones  forsake  is  called 
DTon.  Instead  of  •i^O^'?  ^^^^  Davidic  Psalms  also  poetically 
say  3"ipj  Iv.  22,  cf.  Ixxviii.  9.     The  expression  "  who  traineth 


PSALM  c.\;.iv.  :>8.  3S1 

my  hands  for  the  figl»t"  \\c  have  already  read  in  xviii.  3.'). 
The  last  words  of  the  strophe,  too,  are  after  xviii.  48  ;  hut  in- 
stead of  -lanM  this  poet  says  VPr^^  from  nn-J^m-j  (cf.  Isa.  xlv. 
1,  xli.  2),  perhaps  under  the  influence  of  T'\p'\  in  2  Sam.  xxii. 
48.  In  Ps.  xviii.  48  we  however  read  D-GV,  and  the  Masora 
has  enumerated  Ps.  cxHv.  2,  together  with  2  Sam.  xxii.  44, 
Lam.  iii.  14,  as  the  three  passages  in  which  it  is  written  'dj?, 
whilst  one  expects  D'oy  (WDV  pi^aoi  '}),  as  the  Targum,  Syriac, 
and  Jerome  (yet  not  the  LXX.)  in  fact  render  it.  But  neither 
from  the  language  of  the  books  nor  from  the  popular  dialect 
can  it  be  reasonably  expected  that  they  would  say  "^V  for  D'Ey 
in  such  an  ambiguous  connection.  Either,  therefore,  we  have 
to  read  D'cy,*  or  we  must  fall  in  with  the  strong  expression, 
and  this  is  possible :  there  is,  indeed,  no  necessity  for  the  sub- 
duing to  be  intended  of  the  use  of  despotic  power,  it  can  also 
be  intended  of  God-given  power,  and  of  subjugating  autho- 
lity.  David,  the  anointed  one,  but  not  having  as  yet  ascended 
the  throne,  here  gives  expression  to  the  hope  that  Jahve  will 
grant  him  deeds  of  victory  which  will  compel  Israel  to  submit 
to  him,  whether  willingly  or  reluctantly. 

Vers.  3,  4.  It  is  evident  that  ver.  3  is  a  variation  of  viii.  5 
with  the  use  of  other  verbs.  V]]  in  the  sense  of  loving  inti- 
macy ;  ntf^Hj  properly  to  count,  compute,  here  rationem  habere. 
Instead  of  ^3  followed  by  the  future  there  are  consecutive 
futures  here,  and  Q'j><"13  is  aramaizingly  (t;'JS  "13)  metamor- 
phosed into  tJ'iJS"|3.  Ver.  4  is  just  such  another  imitation,  like 
a  miniature  of  xxxix.  6  sq.,  11,  cf.  Ixii.  10.  The  figure  of  the 
shadow  is  the  same  as  in  cii.  12,  cf.  cix.  23.  The  connection 
of  the  third  stanza  with  the  second  is  still  more  disrupt  than 
that  of  the  second  with  the  first. 

Vers.  5-8.  The  deeds  of  God  which  Ps.  xviii.  celebrates 
are  here  made  an  object  of  prayer.  We  see  from  xviii.  10 
that  1701,  ver.  5a,  has  Jahve  and  not  the  lieavens  as  its  sub- 
ject; and  from  xviii.  15  that  the  suffix  cm  in  ver.  6  is  meant 
in  both  instances  to  be  referred  to  the  enemies.  The  enemies 
are  called  sons  of  a  foreign  country,  i.e.  barbarians,  as  in  xviii. 
45  S(|.     The  fact  that  Jahve  stretches  forth  His  hand  out  of 


*  Rashi  is  acquainted  with  an  otherwise  uukuowu  uotc  of  the  Masora 
^"^p  Vnnn  ;  but  this  Ktrl  is  imaginary. 


382  PSALM  CXLIV.  9-15. 

tlie  heavens  and  rescues  David  out  of  great  waters,  Is  taken 
verbatim  from  xviii.  17  ;  and  the  poet  has  added  the  interpre- 
tation to  the  figure  here.  On  ver.  8a  of.  xii.  3,  xli.  7.  The 
combination  of  words  "right  hand  of  falseliood"  is  the  same  as 
in  cix.  2.     But  our  poet,  although  so  great  an  imitator,  has, 

to  himself.  The  verb  P13, 
the  verb  nvQ  in  the  Aramseo-Arabic 
signification  "to  tear  out  of,  rescue,"  which  in  David  always 
only  signifies  "to  tear  open,  open  wide"  (one's  mouth),  xxii.  14, 
Jxvi.  14 ;  and  the  combination  "  the  right  hand  of  falsehood  " 
(like  "  the  tongue  of  falsehood  "  in  cix.  2),  i.e.  the  hand  raised 
for  a  false  oath,  are  only  found  here.  The  figure  of  Omnipo- 
tence, "  He  toucheth  the  mountains  and  they  smoke,"  is,  as  in 
civ.  32,  taken  from  the  mountains  that  smoked  at  the  giving 
of  the  Law,  Ex.  xix.  18,  xx.  15.  The  mountains,  as  in  Ixviii. 
17  (cf.  Ixxvi.  5),  point  to  the  worldly  powers.  God  only  needs 
to  touch  these  as  with  the  tip  of  His  finger,  and  the  inward  fire, 
which  will  consume  them,  at  once  makes  itself  known  by  the 
smoke,  which  ascends  from  them.  The  prayer  for  victory  is 
followed  by  a  vow  of  thanksgiving  for  that  which  is  to  be  be- 
stowed. 

Vers.  9-11.  With  the  exception  of  Ps.  cviii.,  which  is 
composed  of  two  Davidic  Elohim-Psalms,  the  Eloliim  in  ver.  9 
of  this  strophe  is  the  only  one  in  the  last  two  Books  of  the 
Psalter,  and  is  therefore  a  feeble  attempt  also  to  reproduce  the 
Davidic  Elohimic  style.  The  "new  song"  calls  to  mind  xxxiii. 
3,  xl.  4;  and  liK'V  ^33  also  recalls  xxxiii.  2  (which  see).  The 
fact  that  David  mentions  himself  by  name  in  his  own  song 
comes  about  in  imitation  of  xviii.  51.  From  the  eminence  of 
thanksgiving  the  song  finally  descends  again  to  petition,  vers. 
7c,  8  being  repeated  as  a  refrain.  The  petition  developes  itself 
afresh  out  of  the  attributes  of  the  Being  invoked  (ver.  10),  and 
these  are  a  pledge  of  its  fulfilment.  For  how  could  the  God 
to  whom  all  victorious  kings  owe  their  victory  (xxxiii.  16,  cf. 
2  Kings  v.  1,  1  Sam.  xvii.  47)  possibly  suffer  His  servant  David 
to  succumb  to  the  sword  of  the  enemy !  ni?"i  ann  is  the  sword 
that  is  engaged  in  the  service  of  evil. 

Vers.  12-15.  With  reference  to  the  relation  of  this  passage 
to  the  preceding,  vid.  the  introduction.  itf'X  (it  is  uncertain 
whether  this  is  a  word  belonging  originally  to  this  piece  or  one 


PSAT.M  CXLIV.  12-1.-..  383 

added  by  tlie  person  who  appended  it  as  a  sort  of  clasp  or  rivLt) 
signifies  here  qiioniam,  as  in  .Tiulg.  ix.  17,  Jer.  xvi.  13,  an<l 
frequently.  LXX.  oiv  ol  viol  (on'n  "ill'X);  so  that  the  tenipoi-al 
prosperity  of  the  enemies  is  pictured  here,  and  in  ver.  15  the 
spiritual  possession  of  Israel  is  contrasted  with  it.  The  union 
becomes  satisfactorily  close  in  connection  with  this  reading,  but 
the  reference  of  the  description,  so  designedly  set  forth,  to  the 
enemies  is  im])robable.  In  vers.  12-14  we  hear  a  language 
that  is  altogether  peculiar,  without  any  assignable  earlier 
model.  Instead  of  2"'VP^  we  read  C*yt::  elsewhere  ;  "intheii 
youth"  belongs  to  "  our  sons."  ^^VP,  our  garners  or  treasuries, 
from  a  singular  TO  or  ^TO  (apparently  from  a  verb  nio,  but  con- 
tracted out  of  '"'}!'?),  is  a  hapaxlegomenon  ;  the  ohler  language 
has  the  words  DDX,  "ivix,  miiso  instead  of  it.  In  like  manner 
|T,  genus  (vid.  Ewald,  Lehrbuch,  S.  380),  is  a  later  word  (found 
besides  only  in  2  Chron.  xvi,  14,  where  D'^H  signifies  et  variu 
(jnidem,  Syriac  z'noiioje,  or  directly  spices  from  species);  the 
older  language  has  i'p  for  this  word.  Instead  of  Q'?^^N*,  kine, 
which  signifies  ''princes"  in  the  older  language,  the  older 
language  says  Q''^/^<  in  viii.  8.  The  plena  scriptio  ^2;|1N%  in 
which  the  Waw  is  even  inaccurate,  corresponds  to  the  later 
period;  and  to  this  corresponds  :r=:iU'N*  in  ver.  15,  cf.  on  the 
other  hand  xxxiii.  12.  Also  Q'^^Dp,  laden  =  bearing,  like  the 
Latin  forda  from  ferre  (cf.  ">ayp  in  Job  xxi.  10),  is  not  found 
elsewhere.  JSV  is  (contrary  to  Gen.  xxx.  39)  treated  as  a  femi- 
nine collective,  and  T^?N  (cf.  liB'  in  Job  xxi.  10)  as  a  7io))ieii 
epiccenum.  Contrary  to  the  usage  of  the  word,  Maurer, 
Kcister,  Von  Lengerke,  and  Fiirst  render  it  :  our  princes 
are  set  up  (after  Ezra  vi.  3) ;  also,  after  the  mention  of 
animals  of  the  fold  uj)on  the  meadows  out-of-doors,  one  does 
not  expect  the  mention  of  princes,  but  of  horned  cattle  that 
are  to  be  found  in  the  stalls.  n^lT  elsewhere  signifies  a  corner, 
and  here,  according  to  the  prevailing  view,  the  corner-pillars ; 
so  that  the  elegant  slender  daughters  are  likened  to  tastefully 
sculptured  Caryatides — not  to  sculptured  projections  (Luther). 
For  (1)  n'll  does  not  signify  a  projection,  but  a  corner,  an  angle, 

Arabic  h^\,  zdwXa  (in  the  terminology  of  the  stone-mason  the 
square-stone  =  ^33  J3N,  in  the  terminology  of  the  carpenter  tlu' 
square),  from   ^-. ;,  alidere  (cf.  e.g.  the  proverb:  fi  7  ::an-djA 


384  POALM  CXLIV.  12-15. 

chahajd,  in  the  corners  are  treasures).  (2)  The  upstanding 
pillar  is  better  adapted  to  the  comparison  than  the  overhanging 
projection.  But  that  other  prevailing  interpretation  is  also 
doubtful.  The  architecture  of  Syria  and  Palestine — the 
ancient,  so  far  as  it  can  be  known  to  us  from  its  remains,  and 
the  new — exhibits  nothing  in  connection  with  which  one  would 
be  led  to  think  of  "  corner-pillars."  Nor  is  there  any  trace  of 
that  signification  to  be  found  in  the  Semitic  JT'IT.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  corners  of  large  rooms  in  the  houses  of  persons  of 
position  are  ornamented  with  carved  work  even  in  the  present 
day,  and  since  this  ornamentation  is  variegated,  it  may  be 
asked  whether  nntanp  does  here  signify  "  sculptured,"  and  not 
rather  "  striped  in  colours,  variegated,"  which  we  prefer,  since 
3t?n  (cogn.  3^'n)  signifies  nothing  more  than  to  hew  firewood;* 

and  on  the  other  side,  the  signification  of  the  Arabic  j ^Lri.,  to 

be  striped,  many-coloured  (IV.  to  become  green-striped,  of  the 
coloquintida),  is  also  secured  to  the  verb  3pn  side  by  side  with 
that  signification  by  Prov.  vii.  16.  It  is  therefore  to  be 
rendered :  our  daughters  are  as  corners  adorned  in  varied 
colours  after  the  architecture  of  palaces.f     The  words  ^y^J^., 

*  In  every  instance  where  2Dn  (cogn.  n^'n)  occurs,  frequently  side  by 
side  with  D^O  aStt*  (to  draw  water),  it  signifies  to  hew  wood  for  kindling; 

wherefore  in  Arabic,  in  which  the  verb  has  been  lost,  c_,Jas-  signifies 
firewood  (in  distinction  from  e^,Ad-,  wood  for  building,  timber),  and 
not  merely  this,  but  fuel  in  the  widest  sense,  e.g.  in  villages  where  wood 
is  scarce,  cow-dung  (vid.  Job,  i.  377,  note),  and  the  hemp-stalk,  or  stalk 
of  the  maize,  in  the  desert  the  'ijt.:,  i.e.  camel-dung  (which  blazes  up  with 
a  blue  flame),  and  the  perennial  steppe-plant  or  its  root.  In  relation  to 
^  ,-l-:~^i  L^^ks^l  signifies  lopped,  pruned,  robbed  of  its  branches  (of  a 
tree),  and  i^  ^.l?l~>.  <_*.>.  a  pruning  war,  which  devastates  a  country, 
just  as  the  wood-gathering  women  of  a  settlement  (styled  CjUlrUJl   or 

i.::->L^»^l)  with  their  small  hatchet  (t-^xlisyc)  lay  a  district  covered 
with  tall  plants  bare  in  a  few  days.  In  the  villages  of  the  Merg'  the  little 
girls  who  collect  the  dry  cow-dung  upon  the  pastures  are  called  o^'Iaj 

c:.;IjJ3U,  nuDh  niJ3-— Wetzstein. 

t  Corners  with  variegated  carved  work  arc  found  even  in  the  present 


PSALM  CXLIV.  12-15.  385 

to  bring  forth  by  thousands,  and  33"ip  (denominative  from 
n33T)j  which  surpasses  it,  muhipHed  by  tens  of  thousands,  are 
freely  formed.  Concerning  niinn,  meadows,  vid.  on  Job  xviii. 
17.  p3,  in  a  martial  sense  a  defeat,  cladesy  e.g.  in  Judg. 
xxi.  15,  is  here  any  violent  misfortune  whatever,  as  murrain, 
which  causes  a  breach,  and  DSVV  any  head  of  cattle  which  goes 
off  by  a  single  misfortune.  The  lamentation  in  the  streets  is 
intended  as  in  Jer.  xiv.  2.  >^^^'^  is  also  found  in  Cant.  v.  9 ; 
nor  does  the  poet,  however,  hesitate  to  blend  this  l^  with  the 
tetragrammaton  into  one  word.  The  Jod  is  not  dageshed  (cf. 
cxxiii.  2),  because  it  is  to  be  read  ''f''??^^',  cf.  nin^o  =  ^j'ns^  in 
Gen.  xviii.  14.  Luther  takes  ver.  15a  and  156  as  contrasts: 
Blessed  is  the  people  that  is  in  such  a  case,  But  blessed  is  the 
people  whose  God  is  the  Lord.  There  is,  however,  no  anti- 
thesis intended,  but  only  an  exceeding  of  the  first  declaration 
by  the  second.  For  to  be  allowed  to  call  the  God  from  whom 
every  blessing  comes  his  God,  is  still  infinitely  more  than  the 
richest  abundance  of  material  blessing.  The  pinnacle  of  Israel's 
good  fortune  consists  in  being,  by  the  election  of  grace,  the 
people  of  the  Lord  (xxxii.  12). 

day  in  Damascus  in  every  reception-room  (the  so-called  ^l*)  of  respect- 
able houses  [cf.  Lane,  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Modern  Egyptians,  Intro- 
duction]. An  architectural  ornament  composed  with  much  good  taste 
and  laborious  art  out  of  wood  carvings,  and  glittering  with  gold  and 
brilUant  colours,  covers  the  upper  part  of  the  corners,  of  which  a  kd'a  may 
have  as  many  as  sixteen,  since  three  wings  frequently  abut  upon  the  btt 
el-hahara,  i.e.  the  square  with  its  marble  basin.  This  decoration,  which 
has  a  most  pleasing  effect  to  the  eye,  is  a  great  advantage  to  saloons  from 
two  to  three  storeys  high,  and  is  evidently  designed  to  get  rid  of  the  darker 
corners  above  on  the  ceiling,  comes  down  from  the  ceiling  in  the  corners 
of  the  room  for  the  length  of  six  to  nine  feet,  gradually  becouiing  narrower 
as  it  descends.  It  is  the  broadest  above,  so  that  it  there  also  covers  thi- 
ends  of  the  horizontal  corners  formed  by  the  walls  and  the  ceiling.  If  this 
crowning  of  the  corners,  the  technical  designation  of  which,  if  I  remember 
rightly,  is  ^  Jill,  kornia,  might  be  said  to  go  back  into  Biblical  antiquity, 
the  Psalmist  would  have  used  it  as  a  simile  to  mark  the  beauty,  gorgeous 
dress,  and  rich  adornment  of  women.  Perhaps,  too,  because  they  are  not 
only  modest  and  chaste  (cf.  Arabic  mesturul,  a  veiled  woman,  in  opposition 
to  memshusltut,  one  shone  on  by  the  sun),  but  also,  like  the  children  of  re- 
spectable families,  hidden  from  the  eyes  of  strangers  ;  for  the  Arabic  pro- 
verb quoted  above  says,  "  treasures  are  liidden  in  the  corners,"  and  the 
superscription  of  a  letter  addres-sed  to  a  lady  of  position  runs  :  "  May  it 
kiss  the  haml  of  the  protected  lady  and  of  the  hidden  jewel."— Wetzstkin. 
VOL.  III.  24 


38(?  PSALM  CXLV. 

PSALM    CXLV. 

HYMN  IN  PRAISE  OF  THE  ALL-BOUNTIFUL  KING. 

1  N   I  will  extol  Thee,  my  God  O  King, 

And  I  will  bless  Tlw  Name  for  ever  and  ever. 

2  3  Every  day  will  I  bless  Thee, 

And  I  will  glorify  Thy  Name  for  ever  and  ever. 

3  2    Great  is  Jahve,  and  greatly  worthy  to  be  praised, 

And  His  greatness  is  unsearchable. 

4  T    One  generation  to  another  praiseth  Thy  works, 

And  they  declare  Thy  mighty  deeds. 

5  n   On  the  glorious  honour  of  Thy  majesty 

And  on  Thy  wondrous  works  will  I  meditate. 

6  ^    And  they  shall  speak  forth  thy  mightily  terrible  deeds, 

And  Thy  mighty  acts  will  I  declare. 

7  T    The  praise  of  Thy  great  goodness  shall  they  abundantly 

utter, 
And  sing  aloud  of  Thy  righteousness. 

8  n   Gracious  and  full  of  compassion  is  Jahve, 

Long-suffering  and  great  in  goodness. 

9  D   Good  is  Jahve  unto  all. 

And  His  tender  mercies  are  over  all  His  works. 
10    "•    All  Thy  works  praise  Thee,  Jaiive, 

And  Thy  saints  do  bless  Thee. 
]  1   3    They  talk  of  the  glory  of  Thy  kingship, 

And  confess  Thy  might — 

12  b  To  make  known  to  the  sons  of  men  His  mighty  acts, 

And  the  stately  glory  of  His  kingship. 

13  »   Thy  kingship  is  a  kingship  for  all  ages. 

And  Thy  dominion  endureth  into  all  generations. 

1 4  D   Jahve  upholdeth  all  those  who  fall, 

And  raiseth  up  all  those  who  are  bowed  down. 
Toy   The  eyes  of  all  wait  upon  Thee, 

And  Thou  givest  them  their  food  in  due  season ; 
1()    D   Thou  openest  out  Thine  abundance, 

And  satisfiest  every  living  thing  with  delight. 


PSALM  CXLV.  o87 

17  ^*    Jalive  is  rigliteous  in  all  His  ways, 

And  gracious  in  all  His  works. 

18  I?   Jalive  is  nigh  unto  all  those  who  call  upon  Ilim, 

To  all  who  call  upon  Him  in  truth  ; 
1*)    "I    He  fulfilleth  the  desire  of  those  who  fear  Him, 
And  He  heareth  their  cry  and  delivereth  them. 

20  tr  Jahve  preserveth  all  those  who  love  Him, 

And  all  the  wicked  doth  He  destroy^ 

21  n   Let  my  mouth  then  s})eak  the  praise  of  Jahve, 

And  let  all  fiesli  bless  His  holy  Name  for  ever  and  ever ! 

With  Ps.  cxliv.  the  collection  draws  doxologically  towards 
its  close.  This  Psalm,  which  begins  in  the  form  of  the  leracha 
Cr\  *Tn3),  is  followed  by  another  in  which  beneJicam  (vers.  1,  2) 
and  henedicat  (ver.  21)  is  the  favourite  word.  It  is  the  only 
Psalm  that  bears  the  title  >^^^,  whose  plural  D^nri  is  become 
the  collective  name  of  the  Psalms.  In  B.  Berachoth  46  it  is 
distinguished  by  the  apophthegm  :  '*  Every  one  who  repeats  the 
"vrh  n^nn  three  times  a  day  may  be  sure  that  he  is  a  child  of 
the  world  to  come  (x3n  D^iyn  p)."  And  why?  Not  merely 
because  this  Psalm,  as  the  Gemara  says,  rf^  f)Sx3  N'DN,  i.e. 
follows  the  course  of  the  alphabet  (for  Ps.  cxix.  is  in  fact  also 
alphabetical,  and  that  in  an  eightfold  degree),  and  not  merely 
because  it  celebrates  God's  care  for  all  creatures  (for  this  the 
Great  Hallel  also  does,  Ps.  cxxxvi.  25),  but  because  it  unites 
both  these  prominent  qualities  in  itself  (^mn  iTa  IT'NT  DVJ'c). 
In  fact,  Ps.  cxlv.  16  is  a  celebration  of  the  goodness  of  God 
which  embraces  every  living  thing,  with  which  only  cxxxvi. 
"Ibj  and  not  cxi.  5,  can  be  compared.  Valde  senientiosus  hie 
Psalmus  est,  says  Bakius;  and  do  we  not  find  in  this  Psalm 
our  favourite  Benedicite  and  Oculi  omnium  which  our  children 
repeat  before  a  meal?  It  is  the  ancient  church's  Psalm  for  the 
noon-day  repast  {yid.  Armknecht,  Die  heiliije  Psalmodie,  1855, 
S.  54) ;  ver.  15  was  also  used  at  the  holy  communion,  hence 
Chrysostom  says  it  contains  ra  p^fiara  ravra,  airep  ol  fiefivr)- 
fxevoL  avv€-^(o<i  vTro-\p^dX\ovac  'KeyovTe^'  01  6(f)0d\fiol  iravroiv 
et?  oe  iXirl^ovaiv  koX  av  8t8(U9  rifv  Tpo(f>r]v  avrdv  iv  evKaipia. 

Kara  crTot^etoi/,  observes  Theodoret,  kuI  outo?  o  vp.vo<;  <Tir/- 
KeiTUL.  The  Psalm  is  distichic,  and  every  first  line  of  the  ili.s- 
tich  has  the  ordinal   letter;   but  the  distich  Nun  is  wanting. 


388  PSALM  CXLV.  1-7. 

The  Talmud  (loc.  cif.)  is  of  opinion  that  it  is  because  the  fatal 
n^DJ  (Amos  V.  2),  which  David,  going  on  at  once  with  'n  lOiD 
D''bs3n"^3^,  skips  over,  begins  with  Nun.  On  the  other  hand, 
Ewald,  Vaihinger,  and  Sommer,  like  Grotius,  think  that  the 
iVtin- strophe  has  been  lost.  The  LXX.  (but  not  Aquila, 
Symmachus,  Theodotion,  nor  Jerome  in  his  translation  after 
the  original  text)  gives  such  a  strophe,  perhaps  out  of  a  MS. 
(like  the  Dublin  Cod.  Keiinicot,  142)  in  which  it  was  supplied : 
ni(TTo<;  (pS3  as  in  cxi.  7)  KvpLO<i  iv  {iraai)  roh  \6'yoi<;  avTov 
<cal  oato'i  iv  iraat  Tol<i  epyotf;  avTov  (according  with  ver.  17,  with 
the  change  only  of  two  words  of  this  distich).  Hitzig  is  of 
opinion  that  the  original  A^M?i-strophe  has  been  welded  into  Ps. 
cxli.;  but  only  his  clairvoyant-like  historical  discernment  is  able 
to  amalgamate  ver.  6  of  this  Psalm  with  our  Ps.  cxlv.  We  are 
contented  to  see  in  the  omission  of  the  iV'^iwi-strophe  an  example 
of  that  freedom  with  which  the  Old  Testament  poets  are  wont 
to  handle  this  kind  of  forms.  Likewise  there  is  no  reason 
apparent  for  the  fact  that  Jeremiah  has  chosen  in  ch.  ii.,  iii,, 
and  iv.  of  the  Lamentations  to  make  the  Ajln-strophe  follow 
the  P^-strophe  three  times,  whilst  in  ch.  i.  it  precedes  it. 

Vers.  1-7.  The  strains  with  which  this  hymn  opens  are 
familiar  PsaJm-strains.  We  are  reminded  of  xxx.  2,  and  the 
likewise  alphabetical  song  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  xxxiv.  2. 
The  plena  scriptio  ''']'0^.  in  cxliii.  10  is  repeated  here.  God  is 
called  "the  King"  as  in  xx.  10,  xcviii.  6.  The  language  of 
address  "  my  God  the  King,"  which  sounds  harsh  in  comparison 
with  the  otherwise  usual  "  my  King  and  my  God"  (v.  3,  Ixxxiv. 
4),  purposely  calls  God  with  unrelated  generality,  that  is  to  say 
in  the  most  absolute  manner,  the  King.  If  the  poet  is  himself 
a  king,  the  occasion  for  this  appellation  of  God  is  all  the  more 
natural  and  the  signification  all  the  more  pertinent.  But  even 
in  the  mouth  of  any  other  person  it  is  significant.  Whosoever 
calls  God  by  such  a  name  acknowledges  His  royal  prerogative, 
and  at  the  same  time  does  homage  to  liim  and  binds  himself  to 
allegiance ;  and  it  is  just  this  confessory  act  of  exalting  Him 
who  in  Himself  is  the  absolutely  lofty  One  that  is  here  called 
Dpii.  But  how  can  the  poet  express  the  purpose  of  praising 
God's  Name /or  ever  ?  Because  the  praise  of  God  is  a  need  of 
his  inmost  nature,  he  has  a  perfect   right  to  forget  his  own 


rSALM  CXLV.  1-7.  3S'J 

mortality  when  engaged  upon  this  devotion  to  the  ever-living 
King.  Clinging  adoringly  to  the  Eternal  One,  he  must  seem 
to  himself  to  be  eternal ;  and  if  there  is  a  practical  proof  for  a 
life  after  death,  it  is  just  this  ardent  desire  of  the  soul,  wrought 
of  God  Himself,  after  the  praise  of  the  God  of  its  life  (lit.  its 
origin)  which  affords  it  the  highest,  noblest  delight.  The  idea 
vi  the  silent  Hades,  which  forces  itself  forward  elsewhere,  as  in 
vi.  6,  where  the  mind  of  the  poet  is  beclouded  by  sin,  is  here 
entirely  removed,  inasmuch  as  here  the  mind  of  the  poet  is  the 
undimmed  mirror  of  the  divine  glory.  Tlierefore  ver.  2  also 
does  not  concede  the  possibiHty  of  any  interruption  of  the 
praise :  the  poet  will  daily  (Ixviii.  20)  bless  God,  be  they  days 
of  prosperity  or  of  sorrow,  uninterruptedly  in  all  eternity  will 
he  glorify  His  Name  ('^j'.'i^l^'  as  in  Ixix.  31).  There  is  no 
worthier  and  more  exhaustless  object  of  praise  (ver.  3)  :  Jahve 
is  great,  and  greatly  to  be  praised  (/>''^^,  taken  from  xlviii.  2,  as 
in  xcvi.  4,  cf.  xviii.  4),  and  of  His  "greatness"  (cf.  1  Chron. 
xxix.  11,  where  this  attribute  precedes  all  others)  there  is  no 
searching  out,  i.e.  it  is  so  abysmally  deep  that  no  searching  can 
reach  its  bottom  (as  in  Isa.  xl.  28,  Job  xi.  7  sq.).  It  has,  how- 
ever, been  revealed,  and  is  being  revealed  continually,  and  is  for 
this  veiy  reason  thus  celebrated  in  ver.  4 :  one  generation  pro 
pagates  to  the  next  the  growing  praise  of  the  works  that  He  has 
wrought  out  (Q^'^'i;^  nb'J?),  and  men  are  able  to  relate  all  manner 
of  proofs  of  His  victorious  power  which  prevails  over  everything, 
and  makes  everything  subject  to  itself  (0^135  as  in  xx.  7,  and  fre- 
quently). This  historically  manifest  and  traditional  divine  doxa 
and  the  facts  CI^T  as  in  cv.  27)  of  the  divine  wonders  the  poet 
will  devoutly  consider,  il'll  stands  in  attributive  relation  to  li^S, 
as  this  on  its  part  does  to  T1>"1 :  Thy  brilliantly  glorious  (kingly) 
majesty  (cf.  Jer.  xxii.  18,  Dan.  xi.  21).  The  poet  does  not  say 
"^i*  D3,  nor  may  we  insert  it,  either  here  in  ver.  5,  or  in  ver.  ti, 
where  the  same  sequence  of  thoughts  recurs,  more  briefly  ex- 
pressed. The  emphasis  lies  on  the  objects.  The  mightiness 
(HTJ;  as  in  Ixxviii.  4,  and  in  Isa.  xlii.  25,  where  it  signifies  violence) 
of  His  terrible  acts  shall  pass  from  mouth  to  mouth  ("i^{<  with 
a  substantival  object  as  in  xl.  11),  and  His  mighty  acts  (^i?^3, 
magnalia,  as  in  1  Chron.  xvii.  19,  21) — according  to  the  ivirt 
(which  is  determined  by  the  suffix  of  n3"ii3pN ;  cf.,  however,  2 
Sam.  xxii.  23,  2  Kings  iii.  3,  x.  26,  and  frequently) :  His  gr^at- 


oOO  PSALM  CXLV.  8-13. 

iiess  (pfl^) — will  he  also  on  his  part  make  the  matter  of  his  nar- 
rating. It  is,  however,  not  alone  the  awe-inspiring  majesty  of 
God  which  is  revealed  in  history,  but  also  the  greatness  (3")  used 
as  a  substantive  as  in  xxxi.  20,  Isa.  Ixiii.  7,  xxi.  7,  whereas  D"'n'i 
in  xxxii.  10,  Ixxxix.  51  is  an  adjective  placed  before  the  noun 
after  the  manner  of  a  numeral),  i.e.  the  abundant  measure,  of 
His  goodness  and  His  righteousness,  i.e.  His  acting  in  inviolable 
correspondence  with  His  counsel  and  order  of  salvation.  The 
memory  of  the  transcendent  goodness  of  God  is  the  object  of 
universal,  overflowing  acknowledgment,  and  the  righteousness 
of  God  is  the  object  of  universal  exultation  (|3"!  with  the  accusa- 
tive as  in  li.  16,  lix,  17).  After  the  poet  has  sung  the  glorious 
self-attestation  of  God  according  to  both  its  sides,  the  fiery  and 
the  light  sides,  he  lingers  by  the  light  side,  the  front  side  of  the 
Name  of  Jahve  unfolded  in  Ex.  xxxiv.  G. 

Vers.  8-13.  This  memorable  utterance  of  Jahve  concern- 
ing Himself  the  writer  of  Ps.  ciii.,  which  is  of  kindred  import, 
also  interweaves  into  his  celebration  of  the  revelation  of  divine 
love  in  ver.  8.  Instead  of  ''9'^"^"1  the  expression  here,  however, 
is  non  bnJI  {Kert,  as  in  Nah.  i.  3,  cf.  Ixxxix.  29,  with  Makkeph 
v'lJi).  The  real  will  of  God  tends  towards  favour,  which  gladly 
giving  stoops  to  give  (ll^D),  and  towards  compassion,  which  in- 
terests itself  on  behalf  of  the  sinner  for  his  help  and  comfort 
(DW1).  Wrath  is  only  the  background  of  His  nature,  which  He 
reluctantly  and  only  after  long  waiting  (Q'3^'  T)}^)  lets  loose 
against  those  who  spurn  His  great  mercy.  For  His  goodness 
embraces,  as  ver.  9  says,  all ;  His  tender  mercies  are  over  all 
His  works,  they  hover  over  and  encompass  all  His  creatures. 
Tlierefore,  too,  all  His  works  praise  Him  :  they  are  all  together 
loud-speaking  witnesses  of  that  sympathetic  all-embracing  love 
of  His,  which  excludes  no  one  who  does  not  exclude  himself; 
and  His  saints,  who  live  in  God's  love,  bless  Him  (na^DiT  written 
as  in  1  Kings  xviii.  44) :  their  mouth  overflows  with  the  de- 
claration (11'P^s''')  of  the  glory  of  the  kingdom  of  this  loving  God, 
and  in  speaking  (^"'31'!)  of  the  sovereign  power  with  which  He 
maintains  and  extends  this  kingdom.  This  confession  they 
make  their  employ,  in  order  that  the  knowledge  of  the  mighty 
acts  of  God  and  the  glorious  majesty  of  His  kingdom  may  at 
length  become  the  general  possession  of  mankind.  When  the 
poet  in  ver.  12  sets  forth  the  purpose  of  the  proclamation,  ho 


PSALM  CXLV.  H-21.  301 

drops  tlic  form  of  atlchcss.  God's  kiiifrdom  is  a  kingdom  of  all 
neons,  and  His  dominion  is  manifested  without  exception  and 
continually  in  all  periods  or  generations  plj  "iiT?33  as  in  xlv. 
18,  Estli.  ix.  28,  a  pleonastic  strengthening  of  the  expression 
111  i"'^,  xc.  1).  It  is  the  eternal  circumference  of  the  historv 
of  time,  but  at  the  same  time  its  eternal  substance,  which  more 
and  more  unfolds  and  achieves  itself  in  the  succession  of  the 
periods  that  mark  its  course.  For  that  all  things  in  lieaven 
and  on  earth  shall  be  gathered  up  together  {avaKej>a\aLo>- 
aaadaij  Eph.  i.  10)  in  the  all-embracing  kingdom  of  God  in 
His  Christ,  is  the  goal  of  all  history,  and  therefore  the  substancL' 
of  history  which  is  working  itself  out.  With  ver.  13  (cf.  Dan. 
iii.  33  [iv.  3],  iv.  31  [34],  according  to  Hitzig  the  primary 
passages)  another  paragraph  is  brought  to  a  close. 

Vers.  14-21.  The  poet  now  celebrates  in  detail  the  deeds 
of  the  gracious  King.  The  words  with  ?  are  pure  datives,  cf. 
the  accusative  expression  in  cxlvi.  8.  He  in  person  is  the  sup- 
jiort  which  holds  fast  the  falling  ones  (2''^?^^,  here  not  the 
fallen  ones,  see  xxviii.  1)  in  the  midst  of  falling  (Nicephorus : 
Tou?  KaraTreaeiv  fi.eWovra<;  eSpatot,  ware  firj  KaTaTrea-eiv),  and 
the  stay  by  which  those  who  are  bowed  together  raise  them- 
selves. He  is  the  Provider  for  all  beings,  the  Father  of  the 
house,  to  whom  in  the  great  house  of  the  world  the  eyes  ^yv 
with  the  second  e  toneless,  Evv.  §  100,  b)  of  all  beings,  endowed 
with  reason  and  irrational,  are  directed  with  calm  confidence 
(Matt.  vi.  26),  and  who  gives  them  their  food  in  its,  i.e.  in  due 
season.  The  language  of  civ.  27  is  very  similar,  and  it  pro- 
ceeds here,  too,  as  there  in  ver.  28  (cf.  Sir.  xl.  14).  He  opens 
Plis  hand,  which  is  ever  full,  much  as  a  man  who  feeds  the 
doves  in  his  court  does,  and  gives  (1^*"^,  pleasure,  i.e.  that  which 
is  good,  which  is  the  fulfilling  of  their  desire,  in  suflScient 
fulness  to  all  living  things  (and  therefore  those  in  need  of 
support  for  the  body  and  the  life).  Thus  it  is  to  be  interpreted, 
according  to  Deut.  xxxiii.  23  (after  which  here  in  the  LXX. 
the  reading  varies  between  €ij3oKia<;  and  €vXoyia<;)j  cf.  Acts  xiv. 
17,  €fnrnrXu)v  rpocf))}^  Koi  ev(ppocrvvri<;  ra?  Kapoia<;  I'j/xcov.  V^3'w''i"i 
is  construed  with  a  dative  and  accusative  of  the  object  instead 
of  with  two  accusatives  of  the  object  (Ges.  §  139.  1,  2).  The 
usage  of  the  language  is  unacquainted  with  pvn  as  an  adverb 
in  the  sense  of  "willingly"   (Hitzig),  which  would  rather  be 


392  PSALM  CXLV,  14-21. 


He  is  "  righteous,"  i.e.  He  keeps  strictly  to  the  rule  (norm)  of 
His  holy  love;  and  in  all  His  works  which  He  accomplishes  in 
the  course  of  history  He  is  merciful  O'P'^)?  *-^-  He  practises 
mercy  pPr"?  see  xii.  2) ;  for  during  the  present  time  of  mercy 
the  primary  essence  of  His  active  manifestation  is  free  pre- 
venting mercy,  condescending  love.  True,  He  remains  at  a 
distance  from  the  hypocrites,  just  as  their  heart  remains  far 
from  Him  (Isa.  xxix.  13) ;  but  as  for  the  rest,  with  impartial 
equality  He  is  nigh  (3ni5  as  in  xxxiv.  19)  to  all  who  call  upon 
Him  ri?N3,  in  firmness,  certainty,  truth,  i.e.  so  that  the  prayer 
comes  from  their  heart  and  is  holy  fervour  (cf.  Isa.  x.  20, 
xlviii.  1).  What  is  meant  is  true  and  real  prayer  in  opposition 
to  the  veKpov  epyov,  as  is  also  meant  in  the  main  in  John  iv. 
23  sq.  To  such  true  praying  ones  Jahve  is  present,  viz.  in 
mercy  (for  in  respect  of  His  power  He  is  everywhere) ;  He 
makes  the  desire  of  those  who  fear  Him  a  reality,  their  will 
being  also  His;  and  He  grants  them  the  salvation  (awTTjpia) 
]irayed  for.  Those  who  are  called  in  ver.  19  those  who  fear 
Him,  are  called  in  ver.  20  those  who  love  Him.  Fear  and 
love  of  God  belong  inseparably  together  ;  for  fear  without  love 
is  an  unfree,  servile  disposition,  and  love  without  fear,  bold- 
faced familiarity :  the  one  dishonours  the  all-gracious  One,  and 
the  other  the  all-exalted  One.  But  all  who  love  and  fear  Him 
He  preserves,  and  on  the  other  hand  exterminates  all  wanton 
sinners.  Having  reached  the  7ai',  the  hymn  of  praise,  which 
has  traversed  all  the  elements  of  the  language,  is  at  an  end. 
The  poet  does  not,  however,  close  without  saying  that  praising 
God  shall  be  his  everlasting  employment  {^^  ^"I3T.  with  Oleioe- 
jored,  the  Mahpach  or  rather  Jethih  sign  of  which  above  repre- 
sents the  Makkeph),  and  without  wishing  that  all  flesh,  i.e.  all 
men,  who  are  aap^  koX  alfia,  D^J  ii^'3,  may  bless  God's  holy 
Name  to  all  eternity.  The  realization  of  this  wish  is  the  final 
goal  of  history.  It  will  then  have  reached  ver.  43  of  the  great 
song  in  Deut.  ch.  xxxii. — Jahve  one  and  His  Name  one  (Zech. 
xiv.  9),  Israel  praising  God  virep  uX7)0eia<;,  and  the  Gentiles 
vTrep  eXeou?  (Kom.  xv.  8  sq.). 


rf^Ai.M  cxi.vr.  393 

PSALM    CXLVI. 

HALLELUJAH  TO  GOD  THE  ONE  TRUE  HELPEU. 

Hallelujah. 

1  PRAISE,  O  my  soul,  Jahve ! 

2  I  will  praise  Jahve  as  long  as  I  live, 

I  will  harp  unto  my  God  as  long  as  I  have  any  being, 
o  Trust  not  in  princes, 

In  the  son  of  man,  who  is  not  capable  of  help ! 

4  If  his  breath  goeth  forth,  he  returneth  to  his  clod — 
In  that  day  his  devices  perish. 

5  Happy  is  he  whose  help  is  the  God  of  Jacob, 
Whose  confidence  is  in  Jahve  his  Goil, 

6  The  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth, 
Of  the  sea  and  all  that  is  therein — 
Who  keepeth  truth  for  ever, 

7  Obtaining  judgment  for  the  oppressed, 
Giving  bread  to  the  hungry. 

Jahve  looseth  those  who  are  bound, 

8  Jahve  maketh  the  blind  to  see, 

Jahve  raiseth  up  those  who  are  bowed  down, 
Jahve  loveth  the  righteous, 
^t  Jahve  preserveth  the  strangers, 

He  helpeth  up  the  orphan  and  widow, 
And  the  way  of  the  wicked  He  turneth  down. 
10  .Jahve  reigneth  as  King  for  ever, 

Thy  God,  O  Zion,  unto  all  generations — 
Hallelujah. 

The  Psalter  now  draws  to  a  close  with  five  HallL-lujali 
Psalms.  This  first  closing  Hallelujah  has  many  points  of 
coincidence  with  the  foregoing  alphabetical  hymn  (compare 
"Vr*,!]^  in  ver.  2  with  cxlv.  2  ;  ii^b  in  ver.  5  with  cxlv.  15  ; 
"  who  giveth  bread  to  the  hungry"  in  ver.  7  with  cxlv.  15  sq.; 
"who  maketh  tlie  blind  to  see"  in  ver.  8  with  cxlv.  It; 
"Jahve  reigneth,  etc.,"  in  ver.  10  with  cxlv.   13)— the  same 


394  PSALM  CXLVI.  1-4. 

rano-e  of  thought  betrays  one  author.  In  the  LXX.  Ps.  cxlvi.- 
cxlviii.  (according  to  its  enumeration  four  Psalms,  viz.  cxlv.- 
cxlviii.,  Ps.  cxlvii.  being  split  up  into  two)  have  the  inscription 
^ AXkriXovia.  'A'^'yalov  koX  Za')(^apiov,  which  is  repeated  four 
times.  These  Psalms  appear  to  have  formed  a  separate  Hallel, 
which  is  referred  back  to  these  prophets,  in  the  old  liturgy 
of  the  second  Temple.  Later  on  they  became,  together  with 
Ps.  cxlix.,  ch,  an  integral  part  of  the  daily  morning  prayer,  and 
in  fact  of  the  mon  "iplDS,  i.e.  of  the  mosaic-work  of  Psalms 
and  other  poetical  pieces  that  was  incorporated  in  the  morning 
prayer,  and  are  called  even  in  Shahhath  1186  Hallel*  but 
expressly  distinguished  from  the  Hallel  to  be  recited  at  the 
Passover  and  other  feasts,  which  is  called  "the  Egyptian  Hallel." 
In  dibtinction  from  this,  Krochmal  calls  these  five  Psalms  the 
Greek  Hallel.  But  there  is  nothing  to  oblige  us  to  come  down 
beyond  the  time  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah.  The  agreement 
between  1  Mace.  ii.  63  {earpe-^ev  et?  tov  yovv  avrov,  koI  6 
ScaXoyia-fio^;  avrov  aircoXero)  and  ver.  4  of  our  Psalm,  which 
Hitzig  has  turned  to  good  account,  does  not  decide  anything 
concerning  the  age  of  the  Psalm,  but  only  shows  that  it  was  in 
existence  at  the  time  of  the  author  of  the  First  Book  of  Mac- 
cabees,— a  point  in  favour  of  which  we  were  not  in  need  of  any 
proof.  But  there  was  just  as  much  ground  for  dissuading 
against  putting  confidence  in  princes  in  the  time  of  the  Per- 
sians as  in  that  of  the  Grecian  domination. 

Vers.  1-4.  Instead  of  "  bless,"  as  in  ciii.  1,  civ.  1,  the  poet 
of  this  Psalm  says  "  praise."  When  he  attunes  his  soul  to  the 
praise  of  God,  he  puts  himself  personally  into  this  mood  of 
mind,  and  therefore  goes  on  to  say  "  I  will  praise."  He  will, 
however,  not  only  praise  God  in  the  song  which  he  is  beginning, 
but  "'l^ns  (vid.  on  Ixiii.  5),  filling  up  his  life  with  it,  or  ^lii'^ 
(prop.  "  in  my  yet-being,"  with  the  suffix  of  the  noun,  whereas 
"'3'lij?  with  the  verbal  suffix  is  "  I  still  am"),  so  that  his  continued 
life  is  also  a  constant  continued  praising,  viz.  (and  this  is  in  the 
mind  of  the  poet  here,  even  at  the  commencement  of  the  Psalm) 
of  the  God  and  King  who,  as  being  the  Almighty,  Eternal,  and 


*  Rashi,  however,  understands  only  Ps.  cxlviii.  and  cl.  by  m^^TT  ''pIDD 
in  that  passage. 


rSALM  CXLVI.  5-7.  395 

unclianiijeably  Faitliful  Oik*,  is  tlic  true  ground  of  confidLMice. 
The  warning  against  putting  trust  in  princes  calls  to  mind 
cxviii.  8  sq.  The  clause:  the  son  of  man,  who  has  no  help 
that  he  could  afford,  is  to  be  understood  according  to  Ix.  lA. 
The  following  iriDTS?  shows  that  the  poet  by  the  expression 
Q"TS";2  combines  the  thoughts  of  Gen.  ii.  7  and  iii.  19.  If  his 
breath  goes  forth,  he  says,  basing  the  untrustworthiness  and 
feebleness  of  the  son  of  Adam  opon  the  inevitable  final  destiny 
of  the  son  of  Adam  taken  out  of  the  ground,  then  he  returns 
to  his  earth,  i.e.  the  earth  of  his  first  beginning ;  cf.  the  more 
exact  expression  D'jsy/X,  after  which  the  et<?  T//y  jrjv  avrou  of 
the  LXX.  is  exchanged  for  et?  rov  %ow  avrov  in  1  Mace.  ii. 
(So.  On  the  hypothetical  relation  of  the  first  future  clause  to 
the  second,  cf.  cxxxix.  8-10,  18 ;  Ew.  §  357,  b.  In  that  day, 
the  inevitable  day  of  death,  the  projects  or  plans  of  man  arc 
at  once  and  for  ever  at  an  end.  The  air.  Xey.  nii^*J^*y  describes 
these  with  the  collateral  notion  of  subtleness  and  magnitude. 

Vers.  5-7«.  Man's  help  is  of  no  avail ;  blessed  is  he 
(this  is  the  last  of  the  twenty-five  nti'X  of  the  Psalter),  on  the 
contrary,  who  has  the  God  of  Jacob  (''^V"  like  >^\>^'''^  in  cxliv. 
15)  as  Him  in  whom  is  his  succour  (iiTi'^  with  Beth  essentia', 
vid.  on  XXXV.  2), — he,  whose  confidence  (I3i^'  as  in  cxix.  116) 
rests  on  Jahve,  whom  he  can  by  faith  call  his  God.  Men  often 
are  not  able  to  give  help  although  they  might  be  willing  to  do 
so :  He,  however,  is  the  Almighty,  the  Creator  of  the  heavens, 
the  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  of  all  living  things  that  fill  these 
three  (cf.  Neh.  ix.  6).  Men  easily  change  their  mind  and  do 
not  keep  their  word  :  He,  however,  is  He  who  keepeth  truth  or 
faithfulness,  inasmuch  as  He  unchangeably  adheres  to  the  ful- 
filling of  His  promises,  ncx  IJ^'J'  is  in  form  equivalent  sul)- 
Ptantially  to  non  no-j*  and  nnan  iniy.  And  that  which  He  is 
able  to  do  as  being  the  Almighty,  and  cannot  as  being  tin- 
Tiuthful  One  leave  undone,  is  also  really  His  mode  of  active 
manifestation  made  evident  in  practical  proofs  :  He  obtains 
right  for  the  oppressed,  gives  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  conse- 
quently proves  Himself  to  be  the  succour  of  those  who  suffer 
wrong  without  doing  wrong,  and  as  the  provider  for  those  who 
look  for  their  daily  bread  from  His  gracious  hand.  With 
icG'n,  the  only  determinate  participle,  the  faithfulness  of  God 
His  promises  is  made  especially  prominent. 


396  PSALM  CXLVI.  7-10,  CXLVII. 

Vers.  7b-10.  The  five  lines  beginning  with  Jahve  belong 
together.  Each  consists  of  three  words,  which  in  the  main  is 
also  the  favourite  measure  of  the  lines  in  the  Book  of  Job. 
The  expression  is  as  brief  as  possible.  "'"'JJii?  is  transferred  from 
the  yoke  and  chains  to  the  person  himself  who  is  bound,  and 
nps  is  transferred  from  the  eyes  of  the  blind  to  the  person  him- 
self. The  five  lines  celebrate  the  God  of  the  five-divisioned 
Tora,  which  furnishes  abundant  examples  for  these  celebra- 
tions, and  is  directed  with  most  considerate  tenderness  towards 
the  strangers,  orphans,  and  widows  in  particular.  The  orphan 
and  the  widow,  says  the  sixth  line,  doth  He  recover,  strengthen 
(with  reference  to  *T]iy  see  xx.  9,  xxxi.  12).  Valde  grains  mihi 
est  hie  PsahnuSj  Bakius  observes,  oh  Trifolium  illud  Dei :  Ad- 
venas,  Pupillos,  et  Viduas,  versu  uno  luculentissime  dejnctum,  id 
quod  in  toto  Psalterio  nullihi  jit.  Whilst  Jahve,  however,  makes 
the  manifold  sorrows  of  His  saints  to  have  a  blessed  issue.  He 
bends  (W^.)  the  way  of  the  wicked,  so  that  it  leads  into  error 
and  ends  in  the  abyss  (i.  6).  This  judicial  manifestation  of 
Jahve  has  only  one  line  devoted  to  it.  For  He  rules  in  love 
and  in  wrath,  but  delights  most  of  all  to  rule  in  love.  Jahve 
is,  however,  the  God  of  Zion.  The  eternal  duration  of  His 
kingdom  is  also  the  guarantee  for  its  future  glorious  com- 
pletion, for  the  victory  of  love.     Hallelujah  ! 

PSALM    CXLVII. 

HALLELUJAH  TO  THE  SUSTAINER  OF  ALL  THINGS,  THE 

eestorer  of  jerusalem 

1  Hallelujah, 

For  it  is  good  to  celebrate  our  God  in  song. 
For  it  is  lovely,  comely  is  a  hymn  of  praise. 

2  The  buikler  up  of  Jerusalem  is  Jahve, 

The  outcasts  of  Israel  He  gathereth  together ; 

3  He  healeth  the  broken  in  heart, 
And  bindeth  up  their  wounds ; 

4  Telling  the  number  of  the  stars, 
He  calleth  them  all  by  names. 

5  Great  is  our  Lord  and  rich  in  strength, 
To  His  understanding  there  is  no  number. 


PSALM  cxLVir.  397 

6  J  alive  helpeth  up  the  afflicted, 

He  casteth  the  wicked  down  to  the  ground. 

7  Sing  unto  Jahve  a  tlianksgiving  song, 
Play  unto  our  God  upon  the  citheru  ! 

8  Who  covereth  the  heaven  with  clouds, 
Who  prepareth  rain  for  the  earth, 

Who  maketh  the  mountains  shoot  forth  grass  ; 
P  Giving  to  the  beast  its  food, 
To  the  young  ravens  which  call. 

10  Not  in  the  strength  of  the  horse  doth  He  delight, 
Not  in  the  legs  of  a  man  doth  He  take  pleasure — 

1 1  Jahve  hath  pleasure  in  those  who  fear  Him, 
In  those  who  hope  in  His  mercy. 

12  Celebrate,  O  Jerui'alem,  Jahve, 
Praise  Thy  God,  O  Zion  ! 

13  For  He  hath  made  the  bolts  of  thy  gates  fast. 

He  hath  blessed  thy  children  in  the  midst  of  thee-- 

14  He  it  is  who  giveth  thy  border  peace, 
He  satisfieth  thee  with  the  fat  of  wheat ; 

15  Who  sendeth  forth  His  commandment  to  the  earth, 
His  word  runneth  very  swiftly  ; 

16  Who  giveth  snow  like  wool. 

He  scattereth  hoar-frost  like  ashes, 

17  He  casteth  down  His  ice  like  morsels — 
Jjefore  His  cold,  who  can  stand  ?  ! 

1  b  He  sendeth  forth  His  word  and  causeth  everything  to  melt , 
He  causeth  His  wind  to  blow,  forthwith  the  waters  flow. 

19  He  made  known  His  word  unto  Jacob, 
His  statutes  and  His  judgments  unto  Israel. 

20  He  hath  not  dealt  so  with  any  nation  ; 

And  as  for  His  judgments — they  do  not  know  them, 
Hallelujah. 

It  is  the  tone  of  the  restoration-period  of  Ezra  and  Nehe- 
miah  that  meets  us  sounding  forth  out  of  this  and  the  two 
following  Psalms,  even  more  distinctly  and  recognisably  than 
out  of  the  nearly  related  preceding  Psalm  (of.  ver.  6  with 
cxlvi.  9).     In  Ps.  cxlvii.  thank-^giving  is  rendered  to  God  for 


398  PSALM  CXLVII. 

the  restoration  of  Jerusalem,  which  is  now  once  more  a  city 
with  walls  and  gates ;  in  Ps.  cxlviii.  for  the  restoration  of  the 
national  independence  ;  and  in  Ps.  cxlix.  for  the  restoration  of 
the  capacity  of  joyously  and  triumphantly  defending  them- 
selves to  the  people  so  long  rendered  defenceless  and  so  igno- 
miniously  enslaved. 

In  tlie  seventh  year  of  Artachshasta  (Artaxerxes  i.  Longi- 
manus)  Ezra  the  priest  entered  Jerusalem,  after  a  journey  of 
five  months,  with  about  two  thousand  exiles,  mostly  out  of  the 
families  of  the  Levites  (458  B.C.).  In  the  twentieth  year  of 
this  same  clement  king,  that  is  to  say,  thirteen  years  later 
^445  B.C.),  came  Nehemiah,  his  cup-bearer,  in  the  capacity  of 
a  Tirshdtha  (vid.  Isaiah,  vol.  i.  2).  Whilst  Ezra  did  every- 
thing for  introducing  the  Mosaic  Law  again  into  the  mind  and 
commonwealth  of  the  nation,  Nehemiah  furthered  the  building 
of  the  city,  and  more  particularly  of  the  walls  and  gates.  We 
hear  from  his  own  mouth,  in  ch.  ii.-vii.  of  the  Book  that  is 
extracted  from  his  memoirs,  how  indefatigably  and  cautiously 
he  laboured  to  accomplish  this  work.  Ch.  xii.  27-45  is  closely 
connected  with  these  notes  of  Nehemiah's  own  hand.  After 
having  been  again  in  the  meanwhile  in  Susa,  and  there  neu- 
tralized the  slanderous  reports  that  had  reached  the  court  of 
Persia,  he  appointed,  at  his  second  stay  in  Jerusalem,  a  feast  in 
dedication  of  the  walls.  The  Levite  musicians,  who  had  settled 
down  for  the  most  part  round  about  Jerusalem,  were  sum- 
moned to  appear  in  Jerusalem.  Then  the  priests  and  Levites 
were  purified ;  and  they  purified  the  people,  the  gates,  and  the 
walls,  the  bones  of  the  dead  (as  we  must  with  Herzfeld  picture 
this  to  ourselves)  being  taken  out  of  all  the  tombs  within  the 
city  and  buried  before  the  city  ;  and  then  came  that  sprinkling, 
according  to  the  Law,  with  the  sacred  lye  of  the  red  heifer, 
which  is  said  (Para  iii.  5)  to  have  been  introduced  again  by 
Ezra  for  the  first  time  after  the  Exile.  Next  tlie  princes  of 
Judah,  the  priests,  and  Levite  musicians  were  placed  in  the 
west  of  the  city  in  two  great  choirs  (n'lin  *)  and  processions 


*  The  word  has  been  so  understood  by  Menahem,  Juda  ben  Koreish, 
and  Abulwalid ;  whereas  Herzfeld  is  thinking  of  hecatombs  for  a  thank- 
offering,  which  might  have  formed  the  beginning  of  both  festive  pro- 
cessioua. 


rSAI.M  CXLVII.  1-6.  309 

(nb!?nn).  The  one  festal  choir,  which  was  led  by  the  one  half 
of  the  princes,  and  among  the  priests  of  which  Ezra  went  on 
in  front^  marched  round  the  right  half  of  the  city,  and  the 
other  round  the  left,  whilst  the  people  looked  down  from  the 
walls  and  towers.  The  two  processions  met  on  the  east  side  of 
the  city  and  drew  up  in  the  Temple,  where  the  festive  sacrifices 
were  offered  amidst  music  and  shouts  of  joy. 

The  supposition  that  Ps,  cxlvii.-cl.  were  all  sung  at  this 
dedication  of  the  walls  under  Nehemiah  (Hengstenberg)  cannot 
be  supported  ;  but  as  regards  Ps.  cxlvii.,  the  composition  ot 
which  in  the  time  of  Nehemiah  is  acknowledged  by  the 
most  diverse  parties  (Keil,  Ewald,  Dillmann,  Zunz),  the 
reference  to  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication  of  the  walls  is  very 
])robable.  The  Psalm  falls  into  two  parts,  vers.  1-11,  12-20, 
which  exhibit  a  progression  both  in  respect  of  the  building 
of  the  walls  (vers.  2,  13),  and  in  respect  of  the  circum- 
stances of  the  weather,  from  which  the  poet  takes  occasion 
to  sing  the  praise  of  God  (vers.  8  sq.,  16-18).  It  is  a 
double  Psalm,  the  first  part  of  which  seems  to  have  been  coni- 
posed,  as  Hitzig  suggests,  on  the  appearing  of  the  November 
rain,  and  the  second  in  the  midst  of  the  rainy  part  of  the 
winter,  when  the  mild  spring  breezes  and  a  thaw  were  already 
in  prospect. 

Vers.  1-6.  The  Hallelujah,  as  in  cxxxv.  3,  is  based  upon 
the  fact,  that  to  sing  of  our  God,  or  to  celebrate  our  God  in 
song  (">»T  with  an  accusative  of  the  object,  as  in  xxx.  13,  and 
frequently),  is  a  discharge  of  duty  that  reacts  healthfully  and 
beneficially  upon  ourselves:  "comely  is  a  hymn  of  praise" 
(taken  from  xxxiii.  1),  both  in  respect  of  the  worthiness  uf 
God  to  be  praised,  and  of  the  gratitude  that  is  due  to  Him. 
Instead  of  "iGT  or  TSP,  xcii.  2,  the  expression  is  niET,  a  form 
of  the  infill.  Fiel,  which  at  least  can  still  be  proved  to  be 
possible  by  nnD^b  in  Lev.  xxvi.  18.  The  two  "3  are  co-ordi- 
nate, and  D''yr''3  no  more  refers  to  God  here  than  in  cxxxv.  3, 
as  Hitzig  supposes  when  he  alters  ver.  1  so  that  it  reads  : 
"  Praise  ye  Jah  because  He  is  good,  jilay  unto  our  God 
because  He  is  lovely."  Ps.  xcii.  2  shows  that  aiO''^  can  refer 
to  God ;  but  D'Vji  said  of  God  is  contrary  to  the  custom  and 
spirit  of  the  Old  Testament,  whereas  3"iD  and  D'i'J  are  also  in 


400  PSALM  CXLVII.  1-8. 

cxxxiii.  1  neuter  predicates  of  a  subject  that  is  set  forth  in  the 
infinitive  form.  In  ver.  2  the  praise  begins,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  confirmation  of  the  dehghtful  duty.  Jahve  is  the 
builder  up  of  Jerusalem,  He  brings  together  (D33  as  in  Ezekiel, 
the  later  word  for  HP^*  and  r?I?)  the  outcasts  of  Israel  (as  in  Isa. 
xi.  12,  Ivi.  8)  ;  the  building  of  Jerusalem  is  therefore  intended 
of  the  rebuilding  up,  and  to  the  dispersion  of  Israel  corre- 
sponds the  holy  city  laid  in  ruins.  Jahve  healeth  the  heart- 
broken, as  He  has  shown  in  the  case  of  the  exiles,  and  bindeth 
up  their  pains  (xvi.  4),  i.e.  smarting  wounds ;  N3"i,  which  is 
here  followed  by  t^3n,  also  takes  to  itself  a  dative  object  in 
other  instances,  both  in  an  active  and  (Isa.  vi.  10)  an  imper- 
sonal application  ;  but  for  3?  "'■?.'i3C'  the  older  language  says 
^z?  "'^T'f  ?)  xxxiv.  19,  Isa.  Ixi.  1.  The  connection  of  the  thoughts, 
which  the  poet  now  brings  to  the  stars,  becomes  clear  from  the 
primary  passage,  Isa.  xl.  26,  cf.  27.  To  be  acquainted  with 
human  woe  and  to  relieve  it  is  an  easy  and  small  matter  to 
Him  who  allots  a  number  to  the  stars,  that  are  to  man  innu- 
merable (Gen.  XV.  5),  i.e.  who  has  called  them  into  being  by 
His  creative  power  in  whatever  number  He  has  pleased,  and 
yet  a  number  known  to  Him  ip}P,  the  part,  prces,,  which  occurs 
frequently  in  descriptions  of  the  Creator),  and  calls  to  them 
all  names,  i.e.  names  them  all  by  names  which  are  the  ex- 
pression of  their  true  nature,  which  is  well  known  to  Him,  the 
Creator.  What  Isaiah  says  (ch.  xl.  26)  with  the  words, 
"  because  of  the  greatness  of  might,  and  as  being  strong  in 
power,"  and  (ver.  28)  "  His  understanding  is  unsearchable,"  is 
here  asserted  in  ver.  5  (cf.  cxlv.  3)  :  great  is  our  Lord,  and 
capable  of  much  (as  in  Job  xxxvii.  23,  nb  X''^b'),  and  to  His 
understanding  there  is  no  number,  i.e.  in  its  depth  and  fulness 
it  cannot  be  defined  by  any  number.  What  a  comfort  for  the 
church  as  it  traverses  its  ways,  that  are  often  so  labyrinthine 
and  entangled  !  Its  Lord  is  the  Omniscient  as  well  as  the 
Almighty  One.  Its  history,  like  the  universe,  is  a  work  of 
God's  infinitely  profound  and  rich  understanding.  It  is  a 
mirror  of  gracious  love  and  righteous  anger.  The  patient 
sufferers  {^'')}V.)  He  strengthens  (l^ivp  as  in  cxlvi.  9) ;  malevo- 
lent sinners  (D''j;t?n)j  on  the  other  hand.  He  casts  down  to  the 
earth  (P.^"''iy,  cf.  Isa.  xxvi.  5),  casting  deep  down  to  the 
ground  those  who  exalt  themselves  to  the  skies. 


PSALM  CXLVII.  7-11.  401 

Vers.  7-11.  With  ver.  7  the  song  takes  a  new  flight. 
?  '"i:y  signifies  to  strike  up  or  sing  in  honour  of  any  one,  Num. 
xxi.  27,  Isa.  xxvii.  2.  The  object  of  the  action  is  conceived  of 
in  nnina  as  the  medium  of  it  (cf.  e.g.  Job  xvi.  4).  The  parti- 
ciples in  vers.  8  sq.  are  attributive  clauses  that  are  attached  in 
a  free  manner  to  ^0'n?NP.  Y'zr^^  signifies  to  prepare,  procure,  as. 
e.g.  in  Job  xxxviii.  41 — a  passage  which  the  psalmist  has  had 
in  his  mind  in  connection  with  ver.  9.  0^?V^,  as  being  the 
causative  of  a  verb,  crescendi,  is  construed  with  a  double  accusa- 
tive :  "  making  mountains  (whither  human  agriculture  does  not 
reach)  to  bring  forth  grass;"  and  the  advance  to  the  thought 
that  God  gives  to  the  cattle  the  bread  that  they  need  is  occasi()ue(t 
by  the  "  He  causeth  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle  "  of  the  model 
passage  civ.  14,  just  as  the  only  hinting  ^^"^P^,  "iIJ'X,  which  is 
said  of  the  young  of  the  raven  (which  are  forsaken  and  cast  off 
by  their  mothers  very  early),  is  explained  from  iVVy"  ''^"^^  l"'"]^' 
in  Job  loc.  cit.  The  verb  ^~}P,  Kpu^eiv  (cf.  Kpco^eiu),  is  still  more 
expressive  for  the  cry  of  the  raven,  Kopa^,  Sanscrit  Ltniva,  than 
that  yvj* ;  KopaTTeiv  and  KopaKeveaOai  signify  directly  to  implore 
incessantly,  without  taking  any  refusal.  Towards  Him,  the 
gracious  Sustainer  of  all  beings,  are  the  ravens  croaking  for 
their  food  pointed  (cf.  Luke  xii.  24,  "  Consider  the  ravens"), 
just  like  the  earth  that  thirsts  for  rain.  He  is  the  all-condition- 
ing One.  Man,  who  is  able  to  know  that  which  the  irrational 
creature  unconsciously  acknowledges,  is  in  the  feeling  of  his 
dependence  to  trust  in  Him  and  not  in  himself.  In  all  those 
tilings  to  which  the  God-estranged  self-confidence  of  man  so 
readily  clings,  God  has  no  delight  (rsn',  pausal  form  like  t^'^rr') 
and  no  pleasure,  neither  in  the  strength  of  the  horse,  whose 
rider  imagines  himself  invincible,  and,  if  he  is  obliged  to  flee, 
that  he  cannot  be  overtaken,  nor  in  the  legs  of  a  man,  upon 
which  he  imagines  himself  so  fiirm  that  he  cannot  be  thrown 
down,  and  which,  when  he  is  pursued,  will  presumptively  carry 
him  far  enough  away  into  safety,     pit:*,  j L,  is  the  leg  from  the 

knee  to  the  foot,  from  jU,  root  ^jl^,  to  drive,  urge  forward, 
more  particularly  to  urge  on  to  a  gallop  (like  crus,  according  to 
Pott,  from  the  root  car,  to  go).  What  is  meant  here  is,  not  that 
the  strength  of  the  horse  and  muscular  power  are  of  no  avail 
when  God  wills  to  destroy  a  man  (xxxiii.  IG  sq.,  Amos  ii.  14 
VOL.  in.  aa 


402  PSALM  CXLVII.  12-20. 

sq.),  but  only  that  God  has  no  pleasure  in  the  warrior's  horse 
and  in  athletic  strength.  Those  who  fear  Him,  i.e.  with  a 
knowledge  of  the  impotency  of  all  power  possessed  by  the 
creature  in  itself,  and  in  humble  trust  feel  themselves  depend- 
ent upon  His  omnipotence — these  are  they  in  whom  He  takes 
pleasure  (nVT  with  the  accusative),  those  who,  renouncing  all 
carnal  defiance  and  self-confident  self-working,  hope  in  His 
mercy. 

Vers.  12-20.  In  the  LXX.  this  strophe  is  a  Psalm  (Lauda 
Jerusalem)  of  itself.  The  call  goes  forth  to  the  church  again 
on  the  soil  of  the  land  of  promise  assembled  round  about  Jeru- 
salem. The  holy  city  has  again  risen  out  of  its  ruins ;  it  now 
once  more  has  gates  which  can  stand  open  in  the  broad  day- 
light, and  can  be  closed  and  bolted  when  the  darkness  comes  on 
for  the  security  of  the  municipality  that  is  only  just  growing 
into  power  (Neh.  vii.  1-4).  The  blessing  of  God  again  rests 
upon  the  children  of  the  sacred  metropolis.  Its  territory,  which 
has  experienced  all  the  sufferings  of  war,  and  formerly  resounded 
with  the  tumult  of  arms  and  cries  of  woe  and  destruction,  God 
has  now,  from  being  an  arena  of  conflict,  made  into  peace  (the 
accusative  of  the  effect,  and  therefore  different  from  Isa.  Ix. 
17) ;  and  since  the  land  can  now  again  be  cultivated  in  peace, 
the  ancient  promise  (Ixxxi.  17)  is  fulfilled,  that  God  would  feed 
His  people,  if  they  would  only  obey  Him,  with  the  fat  of  wheat. 
The  God  of  Israel  is  the  almighty  Governor  of  nature.  It 
is  He  who  sends  His  fiat  (i^nON  after  the  manner  of  the  "i^i^*? 
of  the  history  of  creation,  cf.  xxxiii.  9)  earthwards  (YIJ^,  the 
accusative  of  the  direction).  The  word  is  His  messenger  (vid. 
on  cvii.  20),  •^1']'?"''^,  i.e.  it  runs  as  swiftly  as  possible,  viz.  in 
order  to  execute  the  errand  on  which  it  is  sent.  He  it  is  who 
sends  down  snow-flakes  like  flocks  of  wool,  so  that  the  fields  are 
covered  with  snow  as  with  a  white-woollen  warming  covering.* 
He  scatters  hoar-frost  ("ii23  from  123,  to  cover  over)  about  like 
ashes,  so  that  trees,  roofs,  etc.,  are  crusted  over  with  the  fine 
frozen  dew  or  mist  as  though  they  were  powdered  with  ashes 
that  the  wind  had  blown  about.     Another  time  He  casts  His 


*  Bochart  in  his  Ilierozoicon  on  this  passage  compares  an  observation  of 
Eustathiuson  Dionysius  Pcriegetes:  tviu  x'oyx  Ipiuh;  vlup  dirsiui  oi  x«A«/oi 


rSALM  CXLVIII.  403 

ice  *  (^n")ip  from  nnp  ;  or  according  to  another  reading,  in""^  from 
Tip)  down  like  morsels,  fragments,  D^^£D,  viz.  as  liail-stones,  or 
as  sleet.  The  question  :  before  His  cold — who  can  stand  ?  is 
formed  as  in  Nah.  i.  6,  cf.  cxxx.  3.  It  further  comes  to  pass 
that  God  sends  forth  His  word  and  causes  them  (snow,  hoar- 
frost, and  ice)  to  melt  away  :  He  makes  His  thawing  wind 
blow,  waters  flow  ;  i.e.  as  soon  as  the  one  comes  about,  the  other 
also  takes  place  forthwith.  This  God  now,  who  rules  all  things 
by  His  word  and  moulds  all  things  according  to  His  will,  is  the 
God  of  the  revelation  pertaining  to  the  history  of  salvation, 
which  is  come  to  Israel,  and  as  the  bearer  of  which  Israel  takes 
the  place  of  honour  among  the  nations,  Deut.  iv.  7  sq.,  32-34. 
Since  the  poet  says  ^^2D  and  not  "'"'S'?,  he  is  thinking  not  only  of 
the  Tora,  but  also  of  prophecy  as  the  continuous  self-attesta- 
tion of  God,  the  Lawgiver.  The  Ken  ''^"^,^"7,  occasioned  by  the 
plurals  of  the  parallel  member  of  the  verse,  gives  an  unlimited 
indistinct  idea.  We  must  keep  to  i"i3i,  with  the  LXX.,  Aquila, 
Theodotion,  the  Quinta,  Sexta,  and  Jerome.  The  word,  which 
is  the  medium  of  God's  cosmical  rule,  is  gone  forth  as  a  word 
<if  salvation  to  Israel,  and,  unfolding  itself  in  statutes  and  judg- 
ments, has  raised  Israel  to  a  legal  state  founded  ui)on  a  positive 
divine  law  or  judgment  such  as  no  Gentile  nation  possesses. 
The  Hallelujah  does  not  exult  over  the  fact  that  these  other 
nations  are  not  acquainted  with  any  such  positive  divine  law, 
but  (cf.  Deut.  iv.  7  sq.,  Baruch  iv.  4)  over  the  fact  that  Israel 
is  put  into  possession  of  such  a  law.  It  is  frequently  attested 
elsewhere  that  this  possession  of  Israel  is  only  meant  to  be  a 
means  of  making  salvation  a  common  property  of  the  world  at 
large. 

PSALM    CXLVIII. 

HALLELUJAH  OF  ALL  HEAVENLY  AND  EAKTHLY  BEINGS. 

Hallelujah. 
1  PRAISE  ye  Jahve  from  the  heavens, 
Praise  ye  Him  in  the  heights. 


*  LXX.  (Italic,  Vulgate)  xouffraAAoy,  i.e.  ice,  from  the  root  kcv,  to 
freeze,  to  congeal  (Jerome  (jltuiem).  Quid  est  crystalluui  f  asks  Augustine, 
and  replies :  Nix  est  (jlacie  durataper  viitllds  annos  ila  ut  a  sole  vel  i(jne  avile 
(tiKSolvi  nunpossit. 


404  PSALM  CXLVIII. 

2  Praise  ye  Him,  all  His  angels, 
Praise  ye  Him,  all  His  host. 

3  Praise  ye  Him,  sun  and  moon, 
Praise  Him  all  ye  stars  of  light. 

4  Praise  Him  ye  heavens  of  heavens, 

And  ye  waters  that  are  above  the  heavens. 

5  Let  them  praise  the  Name  of  Jahve, 

For  He  commanded  and  they  were  created, 

6  And  He  set  them  there  for  ever  and  ever ; 
He  gave  a  law,  and  not  one  transgresseth  it. 

7  Praise  ye  Jahve  from  the  earth. 
Sea-monsters  and  all  deeps  ; 

8  Fire  and  hail,  snow  and  vapour, 
Stormy  wind  fulfilling  His  word; 

9  Ye  mountains  and  all  hills. 
Fruit-trees  and  all  cedars ; 

10  Ye  wild  beasts  and  all  cattle, 
Creeping  things  and  winged  birds  ; 

11  Kings  of  the  earth  and  all  tribes, 
Princes  and  all  judges  of  the  earth; 

12  Young  men  and  also  maidens. 
Old  men  together  with  youths — 

13  Let  them  praise  the  Name  of  Jahve, 

For  His  Name  is  highly  exalted,  He  alone, 
His  glory  is  above  earth  and  heaven. 

14  And  He  hath  raised  a  horn  for  His  people, 
For  a  praise  for  all  His  saints, 

For  the  children  of  Israel,  for  the  people  near  unto  Him 
Hallelujah. 

After  the  Psalmist  in  the  foregoing  Hallelujah  has  made 
the  gracious  self-attestation  of  Jahve  in  the  case  of  the  people 
of  revelation,  in  connection  with  the  general  government  of  the 
almighty  and  all-benevolent  One  in  the  world,  the  theme  of  his 
praise,  he  calls  upon  all  creatures  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  and 
more  especially  mankind  of  all  peoples  and  classes  and  races  and 
ages,  to  join  in  concert  in  praise  of  the  Name  of  Jaiive,  and  that 
on  the  ground  of  the  might  and  honour  which  He  has  bestowed 
upon  His  people,  i.e.  has  bestowed  upon  them  once  more  now 


PSALM  CXLVIII.  40.3 

when  tliey  are  gatl-.ereJ  together  again  ont  of  exile  and  Jeru- 
salem has  risen  again  out  of  the  ruins  of  its  overthrow.  The 
liynin  of  the  three  in  the  fiery  furnace,  which  has  been  inter- 
polated in  eh.  iii.  of  the  Book  of  Daniel  in  the  LXX.,  is  for  the 
most  part  an  imitation  of  this  Psalm.  In  the  language  of  the 
liturgy  this  Psalm  has  the  special  name  of  Landes  among  the 
twenty  Psalmi  alleluiatici,  and  all  the  three  Psalms  cxlviii.-cl. 
which  close  the  Psalter  are  called  alvoL,  Syriac  shabchiih  (praise 
ye  Him). 

In  this  Psalm  the  loftiest  consciousness  of  faith  is  united 
with  the  grandest  contemplation  of  the  world.  The  church 
appears  here  as  the  choir-leader  of  the  universe.  It  knows 
that  its  experiences  have  a  central  and  universal  significance  for 
the  whole  life  of  creation  ;  that  the  loving-kindness  which  has 
fallen  to  its  lot  is  worthy  to  excite  joy  among  all  beings  in 
lieaven  and  on  earth.  And  it  calls  not  only  upon  everything 
in  heaven  and  on  earth  that  stands  in  fellowship  of  thought, 
of  word,  and  of  freedom  with  it  to  praise  God,  but  also  the 
sun,  moon,  and  stars,  water,  earth,  fire,  and  air,  mountains,  trees, 
and  beasts,  yea  even  such  natural  phenomena  as  hail,  snow,  and 
mist.  How  is  this  to  be  explained  ?  The  easiest  way  of  explain- 
ing is  to  say  that  it  is  a  figure  of  speech  (Hupfeld)  ;  but  this 
explanation  explains  nothing.  Does  the  invitation  in  the  exuber- 
ance of  feeling,  without  any  clearness  of  conception,  here  overstep 
the  boundary  of  that  which  is  possible?  Or  does  the  poet,  when 
he  calls  upon  these  lifeless  and  unconscious  things  to  praise  God, 
mean  that  we  are  to  praise  God  on  their  behalf — ucpopav  eh  ravra, 
as  Theodoret  says,  Koi  tov  @eov  tj-jv  aocpiav  KaraiiavOdveiv  Kal  hia 
irdvTwv  avru)  TrXeKeiv  ttjv  v/xvcuSluv'^  Or  does  the  "  praise  ye  "  in 
its  reference  to  these  things  of  nature  proceed  on  the  assump- 
tion that  they  praise  God  when  they  redound  to  the  praise  of 
God,  and  find  its  justification  in  the  fact  that  the  human  will 
enters  into  this  matter  of  fact  which  relates  to  things,  and  is  de- 
void of  any  will,  and  seizes  it  and  drags  it  into  the  concert  of 
angels  and  men?  All  these  explanations  are  unsatisfactory. 
The  call  to  praise  proceeds  rather  from  the  wish  that  all  crea- 
tures, by  becoming  after  their  own  manner  an  echo  and  reflec- 
tion of  the  divine  glory,  may  participate  in  the  joy  at  the  glory 
which  God  has  bestowed  upon  His  peoj)le  after  their  deep  humili- 
ation.    Tills  wish,  liowever,  after  all  rests  upon  the  great  truth, 


40G  PSALM  CXLVIII.  1-G. 

that  the  way  through  suffering  to  glory  wliich  the  church  is 
traversing,  has  not  only  the  glorifying  of  God  in  itself,  but  by 
means  of  this  glorifying,  the  glorifying  of  God  in  all  creatures 
and  by  all  creatures,  too,  as  its  final  aim,  and  that  these,  finally 
transformed  (glorified)  in  the  likeness  of  transformed  (glorified) 
humanity,  will  become  the  bright  mirror  of  the  divine  doxa 
and  an  embodied  hymn  of  a  thousand  voices.  The  calls  also 
in  Isa.  xliv.  23,  xlix.  13,  cf.  lii.  9,  and  the  descriptions  in  Isa. 
XXXV.  1  sq.,  xli.  19,  Iv.  12  sq.,  proceed  from  the  view  to  which 
Paul  gives  clear  expression  from  the  stand-point  of  the  New 
Testament  in  Rom.  viii.  18  sqq. 

Vers.  1-6.  The  call  does  not  rise  step  by  step  from  below 
upwards,  but  begins  forthwith  from  above  in  the  highest  and 
outermost  spheres  of  creation.  The  place  whence,  "before  all 
others,  the  praise  is  to  resound  is  the  heavens  ;  it  is  to  resound 
in  the  heights,  viz.  the  heights  of  heaven  (Job  xvi.  19,  xxv.  2, 
xxxi.  2).  The  I»  might,  it  is  true,  also  denote  the  birth  or 
origin:  ye  of  the  heavens,  i.e.  ye  celestial  beings  (cf.  Ixviii. 
27),  but  the  parallel  D^onm  renders  the  immediate  construc- 
tion with  =iP?n  more  natural.  Vers.  2-4  tell  who  are  to  praise 
Jahve  there :  first  of  all,  all  His  angels,  the  messengers  of  the 
Ruler  of  the  world— all  His  host,  i.e.  angels  and  stars,  for  iN3^>* 
(Chetldh)  or  Vs*2i:  {Ken  as  in  ciii.  21)  is  the  name  of  the  heavenly 
host  armed  with  light  which  God  Tsebaoth  commands  {vid.  on 
Gen.  ii.  1),— a  name  including  both  stars  {e.g.  in  Deut.  iv.  19) 
and  angels  {e.g.  in  Josh.  v.  14  sq.,  1  Kings  xxii.  19) ;  angels 
and  stars  are  also  united  in  the  Scriptures  in  other  instances 
{e.g.  Job  xxxviii.  7).  When  the  psalmist  calls  upon  these 
beings  of  light  to  praise  Jahve,  he  does  not  merely  express  his 
delight  in  that  which  they  do  under  any  circumstances  (Heng- 
stenberg),  but  comprehends  the  heavenly  world  with  the  earthly, 
the  church  above  with  the  church  here  below  {vid.  on  Ps.  xxix., 
ciii.),  and  gives  a  special  turn  to  the  praise  of  the  former, 
making  it  into  an  echo  of  the  praise  of  the  latter,  and  blending 
both  harmoniously  together.  The  heavens  of  heavens  are,  as 
in  Deut.  X.  14,  1  Kings  viii.  27,  Sir.  xvi.  18,  and  frequently, 
those  which  lie  beyond  the  heavens  of  the  earth  which  were 
created  on  the  fourth  day,  therefore  they  are  the  outermost 
and  highest  spheres      Tlie  waters  which  are  above  the  heavens 


PSALM  CXLVIII.  7-n.  407 

are,  accorJIug  to  Ilupfeld,  "a  product  of  tlie  fancy,  like  the 
upper  heavens  and  the  whole  of  the  inhabitants  of  heaven." 
But  if  in  general  the  other  world  is  not  a  notion  to  which  there 
is  no  corresponding  entity,  this  notion  may  also  have  things  for 
its  substance  which  lie  beyond  our  knowledge  of  nature.  The 
Scriptures,  from  the  first  page  to  the  last,  acknowledge  the  ex- 
istence of  celestial  waters,  to  which  the  rain-waters  stand  in  tlie 
relation  as  it  were  of  a  finger-post  pointing  upwards  (see  Gen. 
i.  7).  All  these  beings  belonging  to  the  superterrestrial  world 
are  to  praise  the  Name  of  Jahve,  for  He,  the  God  of  Israel, 
it  is  by  whose  fiat  (n^^V,  like  lOS  in  xxxiii.  9*)  the  heavens  and 
all  their  host  are  created  (xxxiii.  6).  He  has  set  them,  which 
did  not  previously  exist,  up  (I'Pi'i]  as  e.cj.  in  Neh.  vi.  7,  the 
causative  to  ""py  in  xxxiii.  9,  cf.  cxix.  91),  and  that  for  ever 
and  ever  (cxi.  8),  i.e.  in  order  for  ever  to  maintain  the  position 
in  the  whole  of  creation  which  He  has  assigned  to  them.  He 
hath  given  a  law  (pl"l)  by  which  its  distinctive  characteristic  is 
stamped  upon  each  of  these  heavenly  beings,  and  a  fixed  bound 
is  set  to  the  nature  and  activity  of  each  in  its  mutual  relation 
to  all,  and  not  one  transgresses  (the  individualizing  singular) 
this  law  given  to  it.  Thus  "131".  N'Pl  is  to  be  understood,  accord- 
ing to  Job  xiv.  5,  cf.  Jer.  v.  22,  Job  xxxviii.  10,  Ps.  civ.  9. 
Hitzig  makes  the  Creator  Himself  the  subject;  but  then  the 
])oet  would  have  at  least  been  obliged  to  say  iO/  I'^^'i'^j  ^"^1 
moreover  it  may  be  clearly  seen  from  Jer.  xxxi.  36,  xxxiii.  20, 
how  the  thought  that  God  inviolably  keeps  the  orders  of  nature 
in  check  is  expressed  OeoTrpeiroi';.  Jer.  v.  22,  by  way  of 
example,  shows  that  the  law  itself  is  not,  with  Ewald,  Maurer, 
and  others,  following  the  LXX.,  Syriac,  Italic,  Jerome,  and 
Kimchi,  to  be  made  the  subject:  a  law  hath  He  given,  and  it 
])asses  not  away  (an  imperishable  one).  In  combination  with 
pi"l,  "i?y  always  signifies  "  to  pass  over,  transgress." 

Vers.  7-14.  The  call  to  the  praise  of  Jahve  is  now  turned, 
in  the  second  group  of  verses,  to  the  earth  and  everything 
belonging  to  it  in  the  widest  extent.  Here  too  psn^fp,  like 
D'jDC'n'ip,  ver.  1,  is  intended  of  the  place  whence  the  praise  is  to 
resound,  and  not  according  to  x.  18  of  earthly  beings.    The  call 


*  The  interpolated  parallel  member,  aire;  tWt  kuI  tyivrJr.Tctu.  licre  in 
the  LXX.  is  taken  over  from  that  passage. 


408  PSALM  CXLVIII.  7-14. 

is  addressed  in  the  first  instance  to  the  sea-monsters  or  dragons 
(Ixxiv.  13),  i.e.,  as  Pindar  {Nem.  iii,  23  sq.)  expresses  it,  ^^pa? 
ev  -TreXdyei  viTep6')(ov<i.,  and  to  the  surging  mass  of  waters  (niohri) 
above  and  within  the  earth.  Then  to  four  phenomena  of 
nature,  coming  down  from  heaven  and  ascending  heavenwards, 
which  are  so  arranged  in  ver.  8a,  after  the  model  of  the  chias- 
mus (crosswise  position),  that  fire  and  smoke  ("^^^"'P),  more 
especially  of  the  mountains  (Ex.  xix.  18),  hail  and  snow  stand 
in  reciprocal  relation  j  and  to  the  storm-wind  (p'l^p  C^"",  an  ap- 
positional  construction,  as  in  cvii.  25),  which,  beside  a  seeming 
freeness  and  untractableness,  performs  God's  word.  What  is 
said  of  this  last  applies  also  to  the  fire,  etc. ;  all  these  pheno- 
mena of  nature  are  messengers  and  servants  of  God,  civ.  4,  cf. 
ciii.  20.  When  the  poet  wishes  that  they  all  may  join  in  con- 
cert with  the  rest  of  the  creatures  to  the  praise  of  God,  he  ex- 
cepts the  fact  that  they  frequently  become  destructive  powers 
executing  judicial  punishment,  and  only  has  before  his  mind 
their  (more  especially  to  the  inhabitant  of  Palestine,  to  whom 
the  opportunity  of  seeing  hail,  snow,  and  ice  was  more  rare 
than  with  us,  imposing)  grandeur  and  their  relatedness  to  the 
whole  of  creation,  which  is  destined  to  glorify  God  and  to  be 
itself  glorified.  He  next  passes  over  to  the  mountains  towering 
towards  the  skies  and  to  all  the  heights  of  earth ;  to  the  fruit- 
trees,  and  to  the  cedars,  the  kings  among  the  trees  of  the  forest; 
to  the  wild  beasts,  which  are  called  n»nri  because  they  repre- 
sent the  most  active  and  powerful  life  in  the  animal  world,  and 
to  all  quadrupeds,  which,  more  particularly  the  four-footed 
domestic  animals,  are  called  l^^-?  5  *°  ^^^®  creeping  things  (t^'^n) 
which  cleave  to  the  ground  as  they  move  along ;  and  to  the 
birds,  which  are  named  with  the  descriptive  epithet  winged 
(fl33  liBV  as  in  Deut.  iv.  17,  cf.  Gen.  vii.  14,  Ezek.  xxxix.  17, 
instead  of  ^^^3  ^ij?.  Gen.  i.  21).  And  just  as  the  call  in  Ps.  ciii. 
finds  its  centre  of  gravity,  so  to  speak,  at  last  in  the  soul  of  man, 
so  here  it  is  addressed  finally  to  humanity,  and  that,  because 
mankind  lives  in  nations  and  is  comprehended  under  the  law 
of  a  state  commonwealth,  in  the  first  instance  to  its  heads  : 
the  kings  of  the  earth,  i.e.  those  who  rule  over  the  earth  by 
countries,  to  the  princes  and  all  who  have  the  administration 
of  justice  and  are  possessed  of  supreme  power  on  the  earth, 
then  to  men  of  both  sexes  and  of  every  age. 


PSALM  CXLVIII.  7-14. 


409 


All  the  beings  mentioned  from  ver.  1  onwartls  are  to  praise 
the  Name  of  Jahve  ;  for  His  Name,  lie  (the  God  of  this  Name) 
alone  (Isa.  ii.  11,  Ps.  Ixxii.  18)  is  ^sL"?,  so  high  that  no  name 
reaches  up  to  Him,  not  even  from  afar ;  His  glory  (His  glorious 
self-attestation)  extends  over  earth  and  heaven  (yid.  viii.  2). 
'3j  without  our  being  able  and  obliged  to  decide  which,  intro- 
duces the  matter  and  the  ground  of  the  praise  ;  and  the  fact 

tliat  the  desire  of  the  poet  comprehends  in  V^^]  all  the  beings 

mentioned  is  seen  from  his  saying  "earth  and  heaven,"  as  he 
i^lances  back  from  the  nearer  things  mentioned  to  those  men- 
tioned farther  off  (cf.  Gen.  ii.  4).  In  ver.  14  the  statement  of 
the  object  and  of  the  ground  of  the  praise  is  continued.  The 
motive  from  which  the  call  to  all  creatures  to  Hallelujah  pro- 
ceeds, viz.  the  new  mercy  which  God  has  shown  towards  His 
l)eople,  is  also  the  final  ground  of  the  Hallelujah  which  is  to 
sound  forth  ;  for  the  church  of  God  on  earth  is  the  central- 
])oint  of  tile  universe,  the  aim  of  the  liistory  of  the  world,  and 
the  glorifying  of  this  church  is  the  turning-point  for  tlie  trans- 
formation of  the  world.  It  is  not  to  be  rendered  :  He  hath 
exalted  the  horn  of  His  people,  any  more  than  in  cxxxii.  17  : 
I  will  make  the  horn  of  David  to  shoot  forth.  The  horn  in 
both  instances  is  one  such  as  the  person  named  does  not  already 
possess,  but  which  is  given  him  (different  from  Ixxxix.  18,  25, 
xcii.  11,  and  frequently).  The  Israel  of  the  Exile  had  lost  its 
horn,  i.e.  its  comeliness  and  its  defensive  and  offensive  power. 
God  has  now  given  it  a  horn  again,  and  that  a  high  one,  i.e. 
has  helped  Israel  to  attain  again  an  independence  among  the 
nations  that  commands  respect.  In  Ps.  cxxxii.,  where  the 
horn  is  an  object  of  the  promise,  we  might  directly  understand 
by  it  the  Branch  (Zemach).  Here,  where  the  poet  speaks  out 
of  his  own  present  age,  this  is  at  least  not  the  meaning  which 
he  associates  with  the  words.  What  now  follows  is  an  apposi- 
tion to  itSvS  r}P_  DT\ :  He  has  raised  up  a  horn  for  His  people 
— j>raise  (we  say  :  to  the  praise  of  ;  cf.  the  New  Testament 
et9  e-rraivop)  to  all  His  saints,  the  children  of  Israel,  the  people 
wlio  stand  near  Him.  Others,  as  Ilengstenberg,  take  nj^nn  as 
a  second  object,  but  we  cannot  say  n^nn  ^'1^.  Israel  is  called 
innp  ny,  the  people  of  His  near  =  of  His  nearness  or  vicinity 
(Kijster),  as  Jerusalem  is  called  in  Ecclcs.  viii.  10  Kntp  Dipo 


410 


rSALM  CXLIX. 


instead  of  ^y  D)?}^  (Evv.  §  287,  a,  b).  It  miglit  also  be  said, 
according  to  Lev.  x.  3,  Vai?  Dj;,  the  nation  of  those  who  are 
near  to  Him  (as  the  Targum  renders  it).  In  both  instances  Dy 
is  the  governing  noun,  as,  too,  surely  "133  is  in  'n^»y  123,  Zech. 
xiii.  7,  which  need  not  signify,  by  going  back  to  the  abstract 
primary  signification  of  n^oy,  a  man  of  my  near  fellowship,  but 
can  also  signify  a  man  of  my  neighbour,  i.e.  my  nearest  man, 
according  to  Ew.  loc.  cit.  (cf,  above  on  cxliii.  io,  Ixxviii.  49). 
As  a  rule,  the  principal  form  of  Dj?  is  pointed  ay  ;  and  it  is  all 
the  more  unnecessary,  with  Olshausen  and  Hupfeld,  to  take 
the  construction  as  adjectival  for  'h  nnp  Dy.  It  mi^dit  with 
Hitzig  after  Aben-Ezra,  be  more  readily  regarded  al  apposi- 
tional  (to  a  people,  His  near,  i.e.  standing  near  to  Him).  We 
liave  here  an  example  of  the  genitival  subordination,  which  is 
very  extensive  in  Hebrew,  instead  of  an  appositional  co-ordina- 
tion :  populo  propinqui  sui,  in  connection  with  which  propinqui 
may  be  referred  back  to  prophiqimm  =  propinqidtas,  but  also  to 
propinqims  (literally :  a  people  of  the  kind  of  one  that  is  near 
to  Him).  Thus  is  Israel  styled  in  Deut.  iv.  7.  In  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  dignity  which  lies  in  this  name,  the  nation  of 
the  God  of  the  history  of  salvation  comes  forward  in  this 
Psalm  as  the  leader  (choragus)  of  all  creatures,  and  strikes  up 
a  Hallelujah  that  is  to  be  followed  by  heaven  and  earth. 


PSALM   CXLIX. 

HALLELUJAH  TO  THE  GOD  OF  VICTORY  OF  HIS 
PEOPLE. 

Hallelujah. 

1  SING  unto  Jahve  a  new  song, 

His  praise  in  the  congregation  of  the  saints. 

2  Let  Israel  rejoice  in  its  Maker, 

Let  the  children  of  Zion  be  joyful  in  their  King 

3  Let  them  praise  His  Name  with  dance. 

With  timbrel  and  cithern  let  them  play  unto  Him 

4  For  Jahve  taketh  pleasure  in  His  people, 
He  adorneth  the  humble  with  salvation. 


PSALM  CXLIX.  411 

5  Let  the  saints  exult  in  glory, 

Let  them  shout  aloud  upon  their  beds. 

6  Hymns  of  God  fill  tliuir  throats, 

And  a  two-edged  sword  is  in  their  hand, 

7  To  execute  vengeance  among  the  nations, 
Punishments  among  the  peoples  ; 

8  To  bind  their  kings  with  chains 
And  their  nobles  with  iron  fetters, 

9  To  execute  upon  them  the  written  judgment- 
It  is  glory  for  all  His  saints, 

Hallelujah. 

This  Psalm  is  also  explained,  as  we  have  already  seen  on 
Ps.  cxlvii.,  from  the  time  of  the  restoration  under  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah.  The  new  song  to  which  it  summons  lias  the 
supreme  power  which  Israel  has  attained  over  the  world  of 
nations  for  its  substance.  As  in  cxlviii.  14  the  fact  that  Jahve 
has  raised  up  a  horn  for  His  people  is  called  ^"'^'PH"''?/'  '"'^7^j  so 
here  in  cxlix.  9  the  fact  that  Israel  takes  vengeance  upon  the 
nations  and  their  rulers  is  called  VTDn"P3p  inn.  The  writer  of 
the  two  Psalms  is  one  and  the  same.  The  fathers  are  of 
opinion  that  it  is  the  wars  and  victories  of  the  Maccabees  that 
are  here  prophetically  spoken  of.  But  the  Psalm  is  sufficiently 
explicable  from  the  newly  strengthened  national  self-conscious- 
ness of  the  period  after  Cyrus.  The  stand-point  is  somewhere 
about  the  stand-point  of  the  Book  of  Esther.  The  New  Tes- 
tament spiritual  church  cannot  pray  as  the  Old  Testament 
national  church  here  prays.  Under  the  illusion  that  it  might 
be  used  as  a  prayer  without  any  spiritual  transmutation,  Ps. 
cxlix.  has  become  the  watchword  of  the  most  horrible  errors. 
It  was  by  means  of  this  Psalm  that  Caspar  Scloppius  in  his 
Classician  Belli  Sacri,  which,  as  Bakius  says,  is  written  not 
with  ink,  but  with  blood,  inflamed  the  Roman  Catholic  princes 
to  the  Thirty  Years'  religious  War.  And  in  the  Protestant 
Church  Thomas  Munzer  stirred  up  the  War  of  the  Peasants 
by  means  of  this  Psalm.  We  see  that  the  Christian  cannot 
make  such  a  Psalm  directly  his  own  without  disavowing  the 
apostolic  warning,  "  the  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal " 
(2   Cor.  X.  4).     The  praying  Christian  must  therefore  trans- 


i\2 


PSALM  CXLIX.  1-a 


pose  the  letter  of  this  Psalm  into  the  spirit  of  the  New  Cove- 
nant ;  the  Christian  expositor,  however,  has  to  ascertain  the 
literal  meaning  of  this  portion  of  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
Testament  in  its  relation  to  cotemporary  history. 

Vers.  1-5.  A  period,  in  which  the  church  is  renewing  its 
youth  and  drawing  nearer  to  the  form  It  is  finally  to  assume, 
also  of  inward  necessity  puts  forth  new  songs.  Such  a  new 
era  has  now  dawned  for  the  church  of  the  saints,  the  Israel 
that  has  remained  faithful  to  its  God  and  the  faith  of  its 
fathers.  The  Creator  of  Israel  (Vb'y,  plural,  with  the  plural 
suffix,  like  'fV  in  Job  xxxv.  10,  ^i^"^'];  in  Isa.  liv.  5,  cf.  ib^y  in 
Job  xl.  19  ;  according  to  Hupfeld  and  Hitzig,  cf.  Ew.  § 
256,  b,  Ges.  §  93,  9,  singular ;  but  a/,  ajich,  aio,  are  always 
really  plural  suffixes)  has  shown  that  He  is  also  Israel's  Pre- 
server and  the  King  of  Zion,  that  He  cannot  leave  the  children 
of  Zion  for  any  length  of  time  under  foreign  dominion,  and 
has  heard  the  sighing  of  the  exiles  (Isa.  Ixiii.  19,  xxvi.  13). 
Therefore  the  church  newly  appropriated  by  its  God  and  Kincr 
is  to  celebrate  Him,  whose  Name  shines  forth  anew  out  of  its 
history,  with  festive  dance,  timbrel,  and  cithern.  For  (as  the 
occasion,  hitherto  only  hinted  at,  is  now  expressly  stated)  Jahve 
takes  a  pleasure  in  His  people ;  His  wrath  in  comparison  with 
His  mercy  is  only  like  a  swiftly  passing  moment  (Isa.  liv.  7  sq.). 
The  futures  that  follow  state  that  which  is  going  on  at  the 
present  time.  D>13J?  is,  as  frequently,  a  designation  of  the 
ecclesia  pressa,  which  has  hitherto,  amidst  patient  endurance  of 
suffering,  waited  for  God's  own  act  of  redemption.  He  now 
adorns  them  with  r^m],  help  against  and  victory  over  the  hos- 
tile world  ;  now  the  saints,  hitherto  enslaved  and  contemned, 
exult  11333,  in  honour,  or  on  account  of  the  honour  which 
vindicates  them  before  the  world  and  is  anew  bestowed  upon 
them  (3  of  the  reason,  or,  which  is  more  probable  in  connection 
with  the  boldness  of  the  expression,  of  the  state  and  mood*) ; 
they  shout  for  joy  upon  their  beds,  upon  which  they  have 
hitherto  poured  forth  their  complaints  over  the  present  (cf. 
Hos.  vii.  14),   and   ardently  longed  for  a  better  future  (Isa 


*  Such,  too  (with  pomp,  not  "  with  an  army"),  is  the  meaning  of  ftirx 
loim  in  1  Mace.  x.  60,  xiv.  4,  5,  vid.  Grimm  in  loc. 


PSALM  CXLIX    C-9.  413 

xxvl.  8)  ;  for  the  bed  is  the  pUice  of  soliloquy  (iv.  5),  ana  the 
tears  shed  there  (vi.  7)  are  turned  into  shouts  of  joy  in  the  case 
of  Israel. 

Vers.  G-9.  The  glance  is  here  directed  to  the  future.  The 
people  of  the  present  have  again,  in  their  God,  attained  to  a 
lofty  self-consciousness,  the  consciousness  of  their  destiny,  viz. 
to  subjugate  the  whole  world  of  nations  to  the  God  of  Israel. 
In  the  presence  of  the  re-exaltation  which  they  have  experienced 
their  throat  is  full  of  words  and  songs  exalting  Jahve  (niD^h, 
plural  of  O^^"",  or,  according  to  another  reading,  Dni^,  Ivi.  IT), 
and  as  servants  of  this  God,  the  rightful  Lord  of  all  the  heathen 
(Ixxxii.  8),  they  hold  in  their  hand  a  many-mouthed,  i.e.  many- 
edged  sword  {yid.  supra,  p.  28),  in  order  to  take  the  field  on 
behalf  of  the  true  religion,  as  the  Maccabees  actually  did,  not 
long  after :  raU  jxkv  •^^epalv  djwvL^ofievoc,  Tal<;  Se  Kaphiai<i  trpb'; 
rov  Qeov  ev^ofievot  (2  Mace.  xv.  27).  The  meaning  of  ver.  9a 
becomes  a  different  one,  according  as  we  take  this  line  as  co- 
ordinate or  subordinate  to  what  goes  before.  Subordinated,  it 
would  imply  the  execution  of  a  penal  jurisdiction  over  those 
whom  they  carried  away,  and  3^ri3  would  refer  to  prescriptive 
facts  such  as  are  recorded  in  Num.  xxxi.  8,  1  Sam.  xv.  32  sq. 
(Hitzig).  But  it  would  become  the  religious  lyric  poet  least 
of  all  to  entertain  such  an  unconditional  prospect  of  the  exe- 
cution of  the  conquered  worldly  rulers.  There  is  just  as  little 
ground  for  thinking  of  the  judgment  of  extermination  pro- 
nounced upon  the  nations  of  Canaan,  which  was  pronounced 
upon  them  for  an  especial  reason.  If  ver.  9a  is  taken  as 
co-ordinate,  the  "written  judgment**  (Becht)  consists  in  the 
complete  carrying  out  of  tiie  subjugation ;  and  this  is  com- 
mended by  the  perfectly  valid  parallel,  Isa.  xlv.  14.  The  poet, 
however,  in  connection  with  the  expression  "  written,"  has 
neither  this  nor  that  passage  of  Scripture  in  his  mind,  but  the 
testimony  of  the  Law  and  of  prophecy  in  general,  tiiat  all 
kingdoms  shall  become  God's  and  His  Christ's.  Subjugation 
(and  certainly  not  without  bloodshed)  is  the  scriptural  t^S^'p 
for  the  execution  of  whicii  Jahve  makes  use  of  Ilis  own  nation. 
Because  the  God  who  thus  vindicates  Himself  is  Israel's  God, 
this  subjugation  of  the  world  is  i"in,  splendour  and  glory,  to  all 
who  are  in  love  devoted  to  Him.  The  glorifying  of  Jahve  is 
also  the  glorifying  of  Israel. 


414 


PSALM  CL.  1-5. 


PSALM  CL. 


THE  FINAL  HALLELUJAH. 

1  Hallelujah, 

Praise  ye  God  in  His  sanctuary, 
Praise  Him  in  His  strong  firmament  ! 

2  Praise  Him  in  His  mighty  acts, 

Praise  Him  according  to  the  abundance  of  His 
greatness  ! 

3  Praise  Him  with  the  sound  of  horns 
Praise  Him  with  harp  and  cithern  ! 

4  Praise  Him  with  timbrel  and  dance, 
Praise  Him  with  strings  and  shalm  ! 

5  Praise  Him  with  clear  cymbals, 
Praise  Him  with  clashing  cymbals  ! 

6  Let  everything  that  hath  breath  praise  Jah 

Hallelujah. 

The  call  to  praise  Jahve  "with  dance  and  with  timbrel"  in 
cxlix.  3  is  put  forth  here  anew  in  ver.  4,  but  with  the  iutro- 
duction  of  all  the  instruments  ;  and  is  addressed  not  merely  to 
Israel,  but  to  every  individual  soul. 

Vers.  1-5.  The  Synagogue  reckons  up  thirteen  divine 
attributes  according  to  Ex.  xxxiv.  6  sq.  (nnp  nnb-y  \:hp)^  to 
which,  according  to  an  observation  of  Kimchi,'  correspond  'the 
tlurteen  ^Sn  of  tliis  Psalm.  It  is,  however,  more  probable  that 
in  the  mind  of  the  poet  the  tenfold  =i^Sn  encompassed  by  Halle- 
lujahs is  significative  ;  for  ten  is  the  number  of  rounding  off, 
completeness,  exclusiveness,  and  of  the  extreme  of  exhauslible- 
ness.  The  local  definitions  in  ver.  1  are  related  attributively  to 
God,  and  designate  that  which  is  heavenly,  belonging  to  the 
other  world,  as  an  object  of  praise,  it^'-ii?"  (the  possible  local 
meaning  of  which  is  proved  by  the  ^y  and  2'^>^.  '^np  of  the 
Tabernacle  and  of  the  Temple)  is  in  this  passage' the  heavenly 
^3^T ;  and  i-W  V^"?-)  is  the  firmament  spread  out  by  God's  omni- 
potence and  testifying  of  God's  omnipotence  (Ixviii.  35),  not 


PSALM  CL.  6.  ^15 

according  to  its  front  side,  which  is  turned  towards  the  eartli, 
but  according  to  the  reverse  or  inner  side,  which  is  turned 
towards  the  celestial  world,  and  which  marks  it  off  from  the 
earthly  world.  The  third  and  fourth  haVlu  give  as  the  object 
of  the  praise  that  which  is  at  the  same  time  the  ground  of  the 
praise  :  the  tokens  of  His  •^"^^33,  i.e.  of  His  all-subduing  strength, 
and  the  plenitude  of  His  greatness  (v"ja  =  i^ia),  i.e.  Plis  abso- 
lute, infinite  greatness.  The  fifth  and  sixth  hal"la  brin<r  into 
the  concert  in  praise  of  God  the  ram's  horn,  i^VJ*,  the  name  of 
which  came  to  be  improperly  used  as  the  name  also  of  the 
metallic  '"'"^^'-f'!!  {vld.  on  Ixxxi.  4),  and  the  two  kinds  of  stringed 
instruments  {vid.  xxxiii.  2),  viz.  tiie  nabla  {i.e.  the  harp  and 
lyre)  and  the  kinnor  (the  cithern),  the  ■\\ra\ry']pi,ov  and  the 
KiOdpa  (Kiuvpa).  The  seventh  luWlu  invites  to  the  festive 
dance,  of  which  the  chief  instrumental  accompaniment  is  the 
5in  (Arabic  duff,  Spanish  adufe,  derived  from  the  Moorish)  or 
tambourine.  The  eighth  hdflu  brings  on  the  stringed  instru- 
ments in  their  widest  compass,  Q'SO  (cf.  xlv.  9)  from  !»,  Syriac 
menin,  and  the  shepherd's  pipe,  3Jj;  (with  the  Girnel  raphe 
=r  3iiy) ;  and  the  ninth  and  tenth,  ihe  two  kinds  of  castanets 
(7>7V,  construct  form  of  QvV''y,  singular  •'V^^'),  viz.  the  smaller 
clear-sounding,  and  the  larger  deeper-toned,  more  noisy  kinds 
(cf.  KVfj.(3a\ov  dXaXd^ov,  1  Cor.  xiii.  1),  as  ypj^  vV7ir  (pausal 
form  of  I'O'^'  =  yo'^,  like  "iriD  'i^  Deut.  xxvii.  15,  and  frequently, 
from  ^no  =  inD)  and  npnn  ^b-ab)!  are,  with  Schultens,  Pfeifer, 
Burk,  Koster,  and  others,  to  be  distinguished. 

Ver.  6.  The  call  to  praise  has  thus  far  been  addressed  to 
persons  not  mentioned  by  name,  but,  as  the  names  of  instru- 
ments thus  heaped  up  show,  to  Israel  especially.  It  is  now 
generalized  to  "  the  totality  of  breath,"  i.e.  all  the  beings  who 
are  endowed  by  God  with  the  breath  of  life  (Q^^n  nOw'J),  i.e.  to 
all  mankind. 

With  this  full-toned  Finale  the  Psalter  closes.  Having 
risen  as  it  were  by  five  steps,  in  this  closing  Psalm  it  hovers 
over  the  blissful  summit  of  the  end,  where,  as  Gregory  of 
Nyssa  says,  all  creatures,  after  the  disunion  and  disorder  caused 
by  sin  have  been  removed,  are  harmoniously  united  for  one  choral 
dance  (et<?  filav  'X^opoaTaa-iav),  and  the  chorus  of  n)ankind  con- 
certing with  the  angel  chorus  are  become  one  cymbal  of  divine 
praise,   and   the   final   sung  of   victory  shall    salute   God,  the 


41 G  PSALM  CL.  6. 

triumphant  Conqueror  (tw  rpovaLouxa),  with  shouts  of  joy. 
There  is  now  no  need  for  any  special  closing  heracha.  This 
whole  closing  Psalm  is  such.  Nor  is  there  any  need  even  of 
an  Amen  (cvi.  48,  cf.  1  Chron.  xvi.  36).  The  Hallelujah  in- 
cludes it  within  itself  and  exceeds  it. 


EXCURSUS  BY  J.  a.  WETZSTEIN. 


I.— CONCERNING  im,  THE  NAME  OF  A  BIRD. 
Ou  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  i  (p.  -1). 

Saadia  Gaon  explains  ii"n.  by  the  Arabic  ^,^.J,  a  word  tbe 
correctness  of  wliich  lias  been  doubted.  It  is,  however,  per- 
fectly correct ;  for  in  Syria  and  Palestine  the  common  sparrow 

is  called  (_?ii-S  davt,  whence  the  nomen  iinitafis  L  ,,j.     The 

word  is  to  be  traced  back  tOj»j,  the  plural  of  ^,L^,  the  ''farm- 
yard one,"  and  signifies  properly  "  that  which  is  found  or  dwells 
in  the  farm-yards;"  thus  the  Kamus  (s.u.  .L^)  cites  the  phrase 

^cj^J  ij  U  (used  of  a  desolated  locality),  "  there  is  no  being 

that  dwells  in  farm-yards  therein,"  where  we  should  say:  "no 
living  soul."     In  this  phrase  it  is  exchanged  at  pleasure  for  the 

synonyms  t,^-^' J,  ^t;J,  and  j^J,  which  are  likewise  denomina- 
tives oi  j\j. 

The  word  dwi  is  a  thoroughly  characteristic  appellation 
for  the  sparrow,  which  inhabits  the  villages  in  innnense  flocks, 
where  the  standing  corn  and  the  corn  lying  on  the  threshing- 
floors  in  the  open  fields  feed  it  for  one  half  of  the  year,  whilst 
it  finds  its  food  during  the  other  half  in  the  courts  of  the 
houses.  It  builds  its  nest  in  the  walls  by  digging  out  the 
mortar  between  the  air-dried  bricks.  These  holes  are  stopped 
up  once  a  year,  because  they  injure  the  walls ;  and  the  birds 
that  are  then  taken  out  always  furnish  an  abundant  repast,  the 
only  one  of  the  kind,  moreover,  in  the  year,  for  no  one  takes 
the  trouble  to  make  a  sport  of  shooting  sparrows. 

It  is  another  question,  whether  the  derur,  also,  really 
corresponds  to  the  duri?  This  would  be  impossible  if  thii 
VOL.  III.  27 


418  EXCURSUS  BY  J.  G.  WETZSTEIN. — II. 

sijipor,  which  is  connected  with  deror  in  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  4  and  Prov. 
xxvi.  2,  as  is  supposed,  signifies  the  sparrow.  Saadia  is  con- 
sequently obh'ged  to  interpret  liQV  differently.  But  is  "ilDV  then 
the  sparrow  ?  Is  it  possible  for  a  word  which  the  Bible  uses 
to  designate  ahnost  all  kinds  of  birds  to  be  the  name  of  a 
particular  species?  Its  comparison  with  the  Arabic  ..i.^:^, 
from  which  it  certainly  differs  only  dialectically,  does  not  sup- 
port that  supposition  ;  for  this  word  is  a  collective  name  for 
the  whole  bulk  of  the  small  chirping  and  singing  birds,  side  by 
side  with  which  the  separate  species  must  also  have  its  special 
name.  The  fact  that  in  Syria  one  rarely  sees  and  hears  any- 
thing of  any  other  'osfur  than  the  sparrow,  arises  from  the  fact 
that  the  sparrow  has  multiplied  so  excessively  there,  whilst  the 
land,  that  has  been  deprived  of  its  woods  and  is  overrun  with 
birds  of  prey,  is  very  poor  in  singing  birds  of  all  kinds.  But 
if  the  sippor  corresponds  to  the  'osfur  in  this  sense,  then  the 
derSr  might  well  be  the  diirt  The  swallow,  which  one  usually 
thinks  of,  has  its  own  name ;  and  the  wood-pigeon,  which  others 
suppose  to  be  the  deror,  does  not  suit  Prov.  xxvi.  2. 

The  etymology  of  the  word  deror  is  obscure.  If  it  signifies 
the  sparrow,  it  will  be  a  so-called  primitive ;  at  least  it  is  then 
more  natural  to  regard  the  Syro-Arabic  duri  as  a  deror  that 
has  been  corrupted  by  a  later  supposition  of  a  more  transparent 
etymology,  than  to  regard  deror  as  a  defectively  written  and 
hence  erroneously  pointed  hhv^  form  (perhaps  like  "1^13)  from 
the  root  "iH. 


II.— CONCERNING   THE   SIGNIFICATION   OF  THE   WORD   Hii'D 
IN  ITS  APPLICATION  TO  AGRICULTURE. 

On  Ps.  cxxix.  3  (p.  299),  cf.  on  Ps.  Ixv.  11  (vol.  ii.  p.  230). 

The  word  njyOj  Arabic  iUjcv,  signifies  a  strip  of  arable  land 
which  the  ploughman  takes  in  hand  at  one  time,  at  both  ends 
of  which  consequently  the  ploughing-team  always  comes  to  a 
stand,  turns  round,  and  begins  a  new  furrow.  The  length  of 
the  ma  null  is  of  course  the  same  as  the  length  of  the  furrows. 
Since  the  ordinary  ox  of  Palestine  is  smaller  and  weaker  than 


EXCURSUS  DY  J.  G.  WETZSTEIN. — 11.  4  1 9 

ours,  and  easily  becomes  tired  under  tlie  yoke,  wliicli  presses 
lieavily  on  the  nape  of  its  neck  and  confines  its  neck,  tliey  are 
obliged  to  give  it  time  to  recover  its  strength  by  frequent  rest- 
ing. This  always  takes  place  at  the  termination  of  a  furrow, 
when  the  peasant  raises  the  unwieldy  plough  out  of  the  earth, 
and  turns  it  over,  when  he  is  obliged  to  clear  off  the  moist 
earth  with  the  jdbut  {^'^^^1,  a  small  iron  shovel  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  oxen-stick  or  goad)  and  to  hammer  the  loosened  wedges 
and  rings  tight  again,  during  which  time  the  team  is  able  to 
recover  itself  by  resting.  Hence,  too,  they  do  not  make  the 
furrows  a  great  length.  If  the  field  is  under  two  hundred  feet 
long,  it  forms  only  one  mandh ;  but  when  in  level  districts  the 
long  parcels  of  ground  (sihdin  from  the  singular  ^[}x!)  of  the 
separate  peasant  farmers  of  a  village  frequently  extend  to  the 
distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half,  the  ploughman  is  compelled  to 

divide  his  parcel  of  ground  into  several    ^U,<  (ni^JJ*^),  each  of 

which-  is  ploughed  by  itself.  The  furrows,  that  is  to  say, 
cannot  be  made  breadthwise,  because  the  small  plots  are  mostly 
far  too  narrow,  and  because  the  fields  of  his  neighbours  on 
(.'ither  side  that  might  be  already  tilled  would  be  injured  by  it ; 
for  the  boundaries  of  the  fields  (Jindiid  from  the  singular  '^0) 
are  not  formed,  as  with  us,  by  rows,  i.e.  by  broad  strips  of  green 
sward,  but  only  by  isolated  heaps  of  stones,  of  which  two  larger 
ones  lie  between  every  two  fields,  and  are  called  amdnii  (from 
the  singular  i^l^^,  "mother  ridge,  i.e.  main  ridge"),  and  a 
number  of  smaller  ones  called  kadktr  (from  the  singular  "i^pVP.). 
^loreover  cross-ploughing  would  be  rendered  difficult  by  these 
boundary  stones,  and  the  plough  would  often  be  seriously 
injured.  In  my  collection  of  Hauranitish  peasants'  proverbs 
and  maxims  the  following  is  to  be  found :  "  One  ox  is  as  much 
use  to  thee  as  two,  and  the  shortness  of  the  mandh  as  much 

as  its  length"  (  jU^l  J.L-  ,..i  c3^C\A.- ,   .J  ,.^'  .J  ,.r^  CJo^ixj 

U-2j),  on  which  I  have  recorded  the  following  original  inter- 
])rotation  :  If  it  does  not  make  any  difference  to  the  produce  of 
the  field  whether  the  mandh  be  greater  or  less,  but  in  connec- 
tion with  the  former  the  ploughing  oxen  are  exhausted  even 
after  half  a  day's  work,  whereas  in  connection  with  the  latter 
they  remain  fit  for  work  the  whole  day,  it  is  more  profitable  to 
the  peasant  to  make  his  mandh  as  sh(jrt  as  practicable. 


420  EXCURSUS  BY  J.  G.  WETZSTEIN.— II. 

The  word  njyo  only  occurs  besides  in  1  Sam.  xiv.  14,  where 
it  is  said  that  Jonathan  with  his  armour-bearer,  in  connection 
with  an  attack  upon  one  of  the  posts  of  the  enemy,  slew  twenty 
men,  and  that  within  the  short  space  of  about  half  a  nji'D,  i.e. 
not  during  a  long  pursuit  and  by  degrees,  but  in  a  brief  hot 
battle  on  an  arena  of  about  a  hundred  paces.  In  the  passage  in 
the  Psalm  the  back  is  conceived  of  as  a  field  which  is  divided 
into  several  long  ni:y».  To  our  taste  the  plural  is  certainly 
disturbing ;  the  comparison  of  the  back  to  one  long-extended 
n:i?lD,  which  may  indeed  have  a  hundred  furrows,  is  simpler, 
and  the  impression  produced  by  it  more  forcible ;  hence  the 
Ker^  supposes  the  singular  ^''jyio,  which  must  be  regarded  as 
an  Aramaizing  collateral   form  of  the  singular  n:y»,  for  the 

difference    in    forms    like    'i\i,^<,   d-^liu^c,    Ij^L^^,    ^joL:^,  and 

in  connection  with  Lamed  lie  stems  is  for  the  most 


part  only  idiomatic. 

According  to  its  derivation,  njyo  (with  local  Metn)  is  per- 
haps the  portion  of  a  field  taken  in  hand  by  the  ploughman, 
from  nJVj  to  work ;  or  with  reference  to  the  two  ends,  within 
the  limit  of  which  the  ploughing  is  done,  the  furrow-turning, 
arpo^i],  from  njy^  to  turn ;  or  a  tract  or  space  of  a  certain 
length,  from  njj?,  to  strive  after,  to  seek  to  attain,  whence  the 

well-known  Arabic  word  ^Jxx~<  (masculine  of  ^^VJ^),  that  which 
is  striven  after,  the  desired  object,  then  specially  that  which  is 
aimed  at  by  the  language,  the  drift  (the  meaning  and  sense). 

The  Arabic  i"U*^,  together  with  the  greater  part  of  the 
ac^rarian  terminology,  is  not  found  in  the  original  lexicons, 
because  it  was  not  regarded  as  purely  Arabic,  but  as  belonging 
to  the  Nabata^an  and  Syrian  dialects.  The  terms  must  there- 
fore still  be  collected  among  the  peasants.  I  found  a  good 
many  in  the  il/^-rf^'-country,  where  I  had  my  country  estate ; 
but  the  most  interesting  were  in  the  Ilaurdn,  where,  too, 
i"Uwc«  still  belongs  to  the  living  language. 


DATE  DUE 


CAYLORD 


'  ^.^f.fi"" 


